One in a Million
by PlumCrazyinFL
Summary: A one in a million chance according to the doctor. Little does the doctor know that odds like that are practically a sure thing where Ms. Stephanie Michelle Plum is concerned! Warning for probable smut later, language.
1. Chapter 1

**One in a Million**

This is my first attempt at a fanfic, so all reviews, suggestions, etc, are greatly appreciated. This story is a Babe, though I generally lean more towards Cupcake, but it just didn't want to be written that way.

_Any characters you recognize belong to JE. I'm just taking them for a spin and will return them unharmed - I promise!_

Warnings for bad language (Steph is a Jersey Girl after all), Smut (with Joe and Ranger in the story - I couldn't resist), and possible spoilers for any previously published Plum novel (I'll be referring to various escapades from the novels)

**Chapter 1**

I'm a mess. There's no way around it. My life is a hot mess. I'm a really bad BEA or Bond Enforcement Agent (a lowly job that I had to blackmail my way into), with a really good capture rate due mainly to some incredibly good luck, a freakishly acute "spidey sense" that lets me know when things aren't right, and the very best friend a girl could have in Ricardo Carlos Manoso, AKA Ranger, the most kick ass BEA of all time. I'm also a really bad girlfriend. I have an on-again, off-again relationship with Trenton cop, Joe Morelli. I love Joe, but I'm not _in love_ with Joe. Joe, however, is very much in love with me, or so he says. I'm in love with Ranger. Did I mention that my life is a hot mess?

So, I've come to a decision. I have to break it off with Joe. We had been on a 2-month "off again" phase of our relationship until last night, when Joe had showed up on my doorstep with a 6-pack of beer, Pino's meatball subs, and sporting an incredibly sexy 2-day-old beard on his face. His TV was on the blink and he wanted to watch a ball game on TV. I had been throwing myself a pity party complete with Cuervo Margaritas. I was lonely. My only sexual contact in the past 2 months had been with my shower massage, and I was feeling very sorry for myself. Joe was horny. His "guys" missed me. We never got around to watching the game. I'm such a slut!

So here I am, curled up on my couch, head pounding, waiting for Joe to come over to "talk." He was paged to a murder scene sometime in the middle of night, and left my bed to go do his cop thing. He'd called me 15 minutes ago to say he was dropping by again and bringing "the cure" with him. My sure fire hangover cure is McDonald's fries and a Coke. Morelli knows this. Have I mentioned that I really do love Morelli? _Sigh._But I'm not in love with him. I can't do this to either of us anymore. We have to make a clean break. I don't do "booty calls" or casual sex or the "friends with benefits" thing. Definitely not with a good guy who is in love with me and wants to have a life with me.

I was brought out of my stupor by a knock on the door.

"Cupcake, it's me."

Joe used his key to let himself into my apartment. He smiled at me and set the McDonald's bag on my coffee table.

"Thanks, Joe" I mumbled, already stuffing greasy fries into my mouth and washing them down with Coke. I could feel Joe's eyes on me, but I didn't look up until I was done, all of about 2 minutes later. Probably I should be embarrassed, but I've known Joe since I was a kid. I can't muster the energy.

Finally, I looked up at Joe and he came over and sat next to me on the couch. "This isn't going to work, is it?" he said. I found myself staring at the floor.

"No, I don't think so. Nothing has really changed," I said.

Joe sighed. "It's Ranger." I started to interrupt but he stopped me. "I was stumbling around the bedroom this morning, grabbing my stuff after I was paged. You were moaning in your sleep. I leaned in to give you a kiss. You were saying Ranger's name. You were dreaming of him. I could tell."

"Oh God, Joe, I'm so sorry!'

Tears were silently falling down my face and Joe reached out to stroke my wet cheek. "It's okay Cupcake. You can't control your dreams"

I looked into his tired face and I hated the pain I saw in his eyes, knowing that I was responsible for it. "But even if Ranger wasn't in the picture, it wouldn't work. I love you and I'll always love you, but I'm not _in love_ with you. We don't want the same things. You know that, Joe."

Joe picked up my hands and held them in his own, looking me in the eyes. "I can't imagine my life without you in it. But I don't know if I can do 'just friends," you know? Last night was my fault. I knew you'd been drinking when you answered the door. You can't handle alcohol worth shit, Cupcake," he said as he gave me a sad grin. "I should have just left. I really did only come over to watch the game. I missed you. I got carried away. When you kissed me I knew you wouldn't be doing it if you hadn't been drinking."

"I'm a big girl, Joe. I've missed you, too. I'm not mad about last night. But neither one of us is going to be able to move on if we keep doing this."

"I'm afraid he's going to hurt you, Steph." We were both acutely aware that he'd used my name instead of his nickname for me.

"You and me both, Joe." I gave him a sad smile. "I'm a hot mess!"

Joe chuckled. "Yeah, you are."

I stood up and gave Joe a hug and kiss. Tracing his face with my hands. Trying to memorize the feel and the smell of him. This wasn't easy.

Joe gently grabbed my wrists and brought them back down to my side. "I'm going to stay away, Steph. I need to find a way to get on with my life. I want to be your friend, but I can't do it right now. It's going to hurt too much for awhile, maybe a long while."

I was back to staring at the floor. "I know, Joe. When you're ready, if you're ready again sometime, you know where to find me."

He started to step towards me, and then paused, turning abruptly and moving to the door. "Bye Steph. Take care of yourself."


	2. Chapter 2

_Previously…._

_Joe gently grabbed my wrists and brought them back down to my side. "I'm going to stay away, Steph. I need to find a way to get on with my life. I want to be your friend, but I can't do it right now. It's going to hurt too much for awhile, maybe a long while."_

_I was back to staring at the floor. "I know, Joe. When you're ready, if you're ready again sometime, you know where to find me."_

_He started to step towards me, and then paused, turning abruptly and moving to the door. "Bye Steph. Take care of yourself."_

* * *

An hour later, after a good cry in the shower, an entire pot of coffee, and armed with a dozen assorted donuts from the Tasty Pastry, I pushed my way through the front door of Vincent Plum Bonding Company, my current place of employment. Vincent Plum is my cousin and a complete sleaze. I had to blackmail him into giving me a job by threatening to tell his wife about his inappropriate sexual relationship with a duck. A DUCK for friggin' sakes!

"How you doing, girl?" I was greeted by a Lula, a former ho' who now works at Vinnie's doing the filing (sometimes) and tagging along with me while I go after skips (when she feels like it). I met Lula when I was doing my very first apprehension of….wait for it…Joe Morelli! That's right. Joe was my first skip. A vice cop. Yep, that's me, a hot mess! Lula is a plus-size woman in a mid-size woman's wardrobe. Her fashion sense is more in tune with current than former ho', but hey, that's Lula.

"I'm okay," I said.

"Girl, you're lyin'. Your eyes are swollen and puffy and your nose is too big. Either you're hung over or you been cryin'. My money is on both." Lula looked at me closely.

"Yeah, Steph. No offense, but you look like shit," said Connie, the receptionist and ultimate Jersey Girl. Connie gave new meaning to the phrase "big hair." She had blood red nail polish and lipstick to match. She was 5 inches shorter, 10 pounds heavier, and 3 cup sizes larger than me. She's built like a brick shi…, well, you get it.

"Gee, Con. No way to take offense at that," I said. Both women were giving me hard stares and waiting for information. "Joe and I broke up. Really broke up."

Lula just shrugged. "Huh! Been there and done that before, girl. He'll be back."

"Not this time," I said. "This was different. No yelling. No screaming. No waving arms or hot Italian temper. It was the right thing to do, but it still hurts. He says he can't be my friend right now and maybe even never." I was furiously trying to blink back new tears when I realized that Connie and Lula weren't paying much attention to me now and were staring past me. A shiver ran down my neck. Shit! I turned around to see Ranger standing there quietly listening to me rant.

"Babe," he said. "Ladies." He nodded at Connie and Lula. He stepped to Connie's desk and dropped off a bunch of body receipts, and picked up a stack of files. We all watched silently while he skimmed through the files, pulling the high bond skips, and putting the rest back on the desk.

"He in?" Ranger said to Connie, motioning towards Vinnie's office door.

"No," said Connie. "I think he went to see a man about a duck."

We all grinned (or grimaced). It would have been funnier if there weren't a good chance it was true.

Ranger put his hand on the small of my back, sending shivers down my spine as I instantly broke out in goose bumps.

"Can I talk to you for a second, Babe? Privately?" Ranger said.

Geez, I really must look pathetic. He actually asked instead of just dragging me into the alley. I headed toward the front door, but Ranger grabbed my hand and pulled me towards Vinnie's office instead. He went in first, pulling me behind him, and shutting the door.

I started to head towards the small couch against the far wall.

"Babe!" Ranger raised an eyebrow at me.

"Oh my God. Duck cooties," I wailed. "I can't believe I almost sat on duck cooties."

"Close call, Babe. Need to be more aware of your surroundings," said Ranger.

I gave Ranger my best Jersey Girl eye roll, and then winced. Not a good idea after the night and morning I'd had.

"Are you okay," Ranger asked softly, "about you and Morelli, I mean."

"I will be." I gave him what I thought was a brave smile.

"Are you up for a job tomorrow night?" Ranger asked me.

"Distraction?" I said.

Ranger nodded.

"Sure, why not. Nothing like slutty clothes, big hair, and a lot of makeup to cheer a girl up."

"Proud of you, Babe." Ranger gave me a friendly hug and then he was gone.

I blinked. Geez. The only thing missing was a puff of smoke and the man would have himself a Vegas act.

Connie and Lula were waiting for me when I came out of Vinnie's office.

"So, what did Ranger want" asked Connie.

"Nothing. Just a distraction job tomorrow." I said.

"Things going to heat up between you and the man now that Morelli is out of the picture for good?" Lula looked at me.

"I don't know" I said. "I think he's more interested when Morelli and I are 'on' rather than when we're 'off.' Now that the 'off' is permanent, I'm not thinking my chances are all that good."

"Men," said Connie.

"Pricks," said Lula.

I grabbed a donut from the box I'd left on Connie's desk and shoved it in my mouth.

"Mmfuff," I said.

* * *

The next morning I woke up to the sound of steady rain against my window. Great. I had 3 skips to go after today and I didn't think I'd be staying dry. I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower. When I was done, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and took a couple of swipes with my mascara across my eyelashes. I added some lip gloss and I was good to go. The big hair and Jersey-style makeup would come later tonight. Hopefully the rain will have stopped by then.

I was dressed in my standard "uniform" of jeans, T shirt, and Doc Martens. I grabbed a rain slicker from the coat rack in the entry and headed out the door. I was clumping down the stairs to the parking lot when I heard the "Bad Boys" theme song coming from my bag.

"Hey Ranger," I answered.

"Babe. What's on your agenda today?"

"I have 3 skips and then whatever else Connie might have ready by the time I get over to the office. What's up?"

"I have the file on tonight's job. We need to spend a little time going over it. How about lunch? I'll come over to your place around 2. I'll even bring the food." He said.

"You're just afraid to eat anything I might bring," I answered back.

I could picture the tips of Ranger's mouth turning up slightly. "Been working on your ESP, Babe?"

I laughed. "2 o'clock is fine. No twigs and branches for my lunch, please!"

"Later Babe."

I pushed my way out to the parking lot and made a mad dash out to my latest piece of shit car, also known as a Ford Capri, or Ford Crappy as I lovingly (not) called it. I go through cars like other people go through disposable shavers. They blow up on a regular basis. My biggest consolation is that no matter how crummy my current ride is, it won't be long for this world anyway.

I called Lula as I was heading towards the office.

"Hey girl" she answered.

"Want to ride shotgun? I have a line on 3 skips today." I told her.

"Your ass!" she replied. "I just had my hair done yesterday. I'm not going out in this rain. You're on your own"

"Okay, then. No problem. I'll see ya later." I blew out a sigh. My day was looking longer by the minute. Lula wasn't the world's greatest partner, but I was used to her chattering and false bravado. She made me feel downright professional by comparison. I laughed to myself. Lucy was going to have to ride without Ethel today.

I rolled into my parking lot several hours later, just before 2 o'clock. Ranger's Cayenne was parked right by the door. Shit! I had hoped to beat him there so that I could clean up. I, of course, could only find a space at the other end of the lot by the dumpster. _Sigh. _I got out of the car and slogged my way across the parking lot. I was soaked to the skin and freezing cold. I took the stairs up to my apartment and let myself in.

"Babe," Ranger said. "Looking a little scary."

"I-I-I'm n-n-not in the m-m-mood Ranger." I tried to give him my best Burg glare, but I was shaking too hard.

"Shit, Babe. You're practically blue!" Ranger was across the room in 2 strides. "You need to get out of these wet clothes."

Ranger dragged me to the bathroom and reached in to turn on the water, adjusting the temperature. "Need any help, Babe?" He gave me the 200 watt wolf grin.

"I-I-I c-c-can m-m-manage," I chattered back at him .

I came back out into the living room about 15 minutes later, wearing sweatpants and a pink hoodie, towel wrapped around my head.

"Feel better, Babe?" Ranger asked.

"Lots, thanks." Ranger handed me a cup of hot tea and motioned towards my small dining table. "Lunch is ready."

God bless Ella! She had sent homemade bread and minestrone soup. It was divine. I dug in, eyes practically rolling back in my head with pleasure.

"Mmmmmm, sooooo gooood" I moaned. I looked over at Ranger and he just shook his head.

"God Babe. You're killing me."

Ranger slid a file over to me and I opened it and started to read as I finished my soup. Andrew Parker, Age 35, wanted for multiple counts of rape.

"Vinnie bonded out this asshole?" I said.

"No, it isn't Vinnie. It's a federal case. We're after the reward money this time. Actually I'd really just like to get my hands on the bastard." Ranger looked calm, but I could see the tension around his eyes and mouth.

"We'll get him," I said. "What's the plan?"

"Lester will be behind the bar, Hal will be bouncing. Cal and Bobby will be inside as customers. Tank and I will be outside to do the takedown. It's a biker place. Ella picked up some clothes for you. They're in that bag." Ranger pointed to a duffel on my sofa. "Our man has been coming in the last couple of nights around midnight. We'll need to be ready by 11, and then you'll go in after he's had a couple of drinks. I'll be here at 10:30 to mic you up."

"Sounds good." I looked at Ranger and smiled. "Thank Ella for the lunch. Tell her I loooooved it."

Ranger chuckled. "Babe."

And then he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to everyone who has taken to time to read and review. Since this is my first story, it's nice to get some encouragement! Even if you don't have time to review, thanks for reading and I really hope you enjoy.

This chapter is kind of long. I probably need to edit myself better. Sometimes I think I get off track. Hope you like it anyway.

_Any characters you recognize belong to JE. I'm just taking them for a spin and will return them unharmed - I promise!_

_**

* * *

**_

Previously:

_"We'll get him," I said. "What's the plan?"_

_"Lester will be behind the bar, Hal will be bouncing. Cal and Bobby will be inside as customers. Tank and I will be outside to do the takedown. It's a biker place. Ella picked up some clothes for you. They're in that bag." Ranger pointed to a duffel on my sofa. "Our man has been coming in the last couple of nights around midnight. We'll need to be ready by 11, and then you'll go in after he's had a couple of drinks. I'll be here at 10:30 to mic you up."_

_"Sounds good." I looked at Ranger and smiled. "Thank Ella for the lunch. Tell her I loooooved it."_

_Ranger chuckled. "Babe."_

* * *

I hung around my apartment the rest of the afternoon, cleaned, dusted, and vacuumed. Rex got fresh bedding and new soup can. Stephanie Plum…..domestic goddess! _Not._ I always get full of nervous energy before a distraction and I figure if anything bad happens, my mother won't be faced with the humiliation of collecting my personal belongings from a filthy apartment. At least she won't feel like a total failure. Oh God! My mother. I'm sure she's heard about me and Joe. She'll be calling to remind me that I've thrown away my last chance at a husband and a family and to remind me what a disappointment I am to her. Oh well. Thank God for caller ID. I'll just avoid her as long as I can.

After checking out the clothes that Ella sent me, I figured I better skip dinner and settled for a pint of Ben & Jerry's instead. Hey! A girl has to have her priorities. I can't get to my happy place without sugar and if I have to let some psycho feel me up in a bar, then I NEED to be able to get to my happy place.

After my ice cream and a 2 hour nap, I dragged myself out of bed to get ready. I did the shower thing, and shaved and moisturized myself until I practically glowed. I did the hair and makeup thing. Big teased slut hair, heavy black mascara and smoky eyes. Dark plum lipstick, almost black. Yikes! I wouldn't want to meet me in a dark alley at night.

I pulled on a pair of leather shorts that frankly left less to the imagination than some of my panties! Next came a leather bustier, lace up front. There was a lot of built in padding and support and even without a bra I had a lot more cleavage than God actually gave me. Finally, the pièce de résistance - thigh high black leather boots with 5 inch spiked heels. I turned to look in my full length mirror. Oh my God! I looked like biker slut Barbie. There was a lot of skin between the very low cut of the shorts and the bottom of the bustier. My barely B's had been magically transformed into overflowing C's. I turned and cranked my head back over my shoulder to try and get a look at the back. Well, my butt cheeks were mostly covered.

If my mother ever saw me in an outfit like this, she'd stroke out. Well, first she'd kill me and then she'd stroke out. At least Grandma Mazur could hold a double open casket funeral at Stiva's. She'd be the star at the Cut 'n Curl for weeks. Yeah, that's me, a "the glass is half full" kind of girl, always looking on the bright side. _Okay, maybe not so much._

I sat on my bed and was getting ready to work myself into a full-on panic attack.

"Breathe Babe."

"Ahhhhh!" I screamed and jumped up, tripping over the corner of my bed and falling on my ass on the floor. "Geez, Ranger! Can't you knock like a normal person? You scared the crap out of me."

Ranger reached down and hauled me to my feet. He had to look up at me with my 5 inch heels. "Babe." We were standing toe to toe and very close. Ranger's eyes were black.

I stepped back a few inches, _chicken!, _and said, "Ready to get the show on the road?" I gave Ranger a nervous smile.

"Show is right," said Ranger, using my shoulders to spin me around slowly. He started at the floor and his eyes raked up slowly, pausing on my bare torso and at my not unsubstantial cleavage, finally stopping at my eyes. A very dangerous smiled played at the corners of his mouth.

"So, do you think this is the look he'll go for?" I asked.

"Unless he's dead when we get there, Babe." Ranger stepped closer again. His hands reached up and softly stroked my breasts, his fingers snaking under the leather, making me catch my breath. "Have to find a spot for the mic," he said. "R-r-right, of c-course. The mic." I was beet read and I could barely breathe.

Ranger chuckled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the tiny mic. His hands were back inside my top and he placed the mic under my right breast, using a small piece of tape to secure it to the skin. Then he swept my hair off my neck and reached up to place a tiny receiver in my ear. This would allow me to hear the guys and they could give me instructions as necessary. He nuzzled his face into my neck, tickling me with his warm breath. "You smell great, Babe." Ranger snaked an arm behind my back and around my waist, pulling me tight up against him. All of a sudden he crushed his lips to mine in a toe curling, knee weakening kiss. I mean, this guy can k-i-s-s, KISS! If I had been wearing panties, I'd have needed to change them. Then, just as quickly, he was striding across the room, dragging me behind him.

"Hey!," I said.

Ranger cocked an eyebrow at me.

"What the hell was that?" I spat out at him.

"I thought you rather enjoyed that, Babe." Ranger flashed me a smile.

"Why do you do that to me? Get me all hot and bothered and then just walk away! It doesn't even seem to affect you at all!" I was getting really pissed off.

"Babe. Don't ever think you don't affect me. I'm just better at hiding it than you. And I don't think you really want me to follow through. Not yet, anyway. When you're ready, I won't stop. There won't be any going back."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "We better go, Ranger."

I grabbed my keys and my bag off the kitchen counter and we headed out the door.

Fifteen minutes later Ranger pulled into the parking lot of the bar, parking in the dark shadows on the fringes of the property.

"Where are the guys?" I asked.

"Binky and Ram are parked a couple of blocks away. They'll be listening and pull into the lot once we've secured our guy. The others came in on Harleys.

"RangeMan has Harleys, too? How come I've never seen them?" I looked around the parking lot and there did seem to be a predominance of black bikes.

"Man of mystery, Babe."

I rolled my eyes. Ranger leaned over and reached under my shirt, turning on the mic. I didn't even realize I was holding my breath, until Ranger reminded me, "Breathe Babe."

"Hey guys, can you hear me?" I asked Ranger's men who I knew would be listening. "10-4 beautiful," said Lester. "Gotcha Steph," said Hal. Cal and Bobby both responded as well. "Great. I can hear you all, too," I let them know. Ranger checked in with Binky and Ram. Tank was with them and would join Ranger in the parking lot after I went inside.

"Should I go in and wait for him to show up? I asked Ranger.

"Not yet," said Ranger. "The way you look tonight, our guys inside will have a helluva time keeping other customers away from you. Let's let Parker get inside and have a couple of drinks first. The other customers have been giving Parker a wide berth when he comes in. He'll be all over you immediately and you won't have to worry about anybody else."

"Somehow I don't find that particularly comforting," I said, shivering in my seat.

"Babe? You don't have to do this. Are you having second thoughts?" Ranger asked me.

"Not really. I'm just nervous. I'll be fine once it is show time." I gave Ranger what I hoped was a reassuring smile, but which felt more like a grimace. "So, what's he into? Any idea how I should approach him?" I asked Ranger.

"He's into some kinky stuff, bondage, group sex, that kind of thing," Ranger answered.

"Great, kinky psycho," I responded, taking another deep breath and blowing it out.

"Look sharp. Parker just passed our location," Tank's voice came through the receiver in my ear.

Almost immediately we heard the deep, loud rumble of a bike coming down the street. Parker pulled into a spot right by the front door. He jammed his helmet onto the back of the seat and headed inside.

We sat quietly for about 15 minutes. Ranger seemed to be in his zone. I was concentrating on deep breathing and calming my nerves. God I wanted a donut!

Ranger then turned to face me. "Be careful. If your spidey sense tells you something is wrong, pay attention to it. Just say the word and the guys will get you out right way." Ranger cupped my chin with his hand and leaned across, touching my lips gently with his. "Go get 'em Tiger."

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and tried to channel my inner slut. "Watch and learn boys," I said, hoping that I sounded more brave that I felt as I swung out of the car, earning me a few chuckles through my ear piece.

I adjusted my boobs as high as I could in my bustier, and made my way around the puddles in the parking lot towards the front door. I pushed my way inside, and looked around. I saw Parker leaning against the bar, talking to one of the waitresses.

"Fucking piece of shit, no good asshole!" I muttered to myself, but loudly enough for Parker to hear me, as I made my way to the bar. I saw Parker looking at me out of the corner of my eye as I hopped up on an empty barstool.

Lester was tending bar and he came over and said, "Hey sexy. What can I get you?"

"Sexy this, dick wad!" I said as I gave him my best Italian hand gesture.

"Geez lady. Do you want a drink or not?" He said.

Parker was openly watching our exchange now. "I'm sorry. Rough night. Shot of Cuervo and a Corona please."

I looked over at Parker and noticed he was staring at me. Borrowing one of Ranger's lines, I said, "See something you like?" and licked my lips provocatively.

Parker nodded at Lester and said "I'll have the same" and he slid a twenty dollar bill across the bar. "Let me get that for you. Looks like you need it." He slid down the bar closer to me, until our hips were touching.

"What's a hot thing like you doing in here alone?" he asked me.

"Forgetting a man, what else? Want to help, stud?" I was doing some heavy virtual eye rolling over my line. Instead of my inner slut, I think I had found my inner Lester. Okay, well, probably pretty much the same thing anyway.

Lester placed a shot and beer in front of me. I knew the shot would be very weak, since they always kept "fake" bottles behind the bar for my drinks when I did a distraction job. There would be just enough actual tequila in the shot to smell the liquor on my breath. I shuddered a bit at the thought of this guy being close enough to smell my breath.

Parker lifted his own shot glass and tapped mine. "Bottoms up," and he downed the shot as I did the same. I took a long gulp of beer to chase it down.

"So what did lover boy do to tick you off?" he asked me.

"I suggested a threesome, just to add a little spark, ya know? He got jealous that I suggested his best friend. Asshole. He stormed out and hasn't been back in hours. I decided to come find some action on my own. He can go fuck himself."

"Well, I can definitely help you out then. I'm Andy. Anything you can dream up, I can make happen. Gladly." He grabbed my hand and placed it on his crotch, letting me feel that he was hard. "His loss will definitely be your gain," he said, leering at me. That generated more internal eye rolling on my part.

"So I can feel," I said, trying to look enthusiastic. "I'm Ginger." Parker leaned forward and grabbed the back of my head, crushing his lips against mine and cutting my lower lip with his teeth." I heard a sharp intake of breath in my ear as Ranger's guys saw him kiss me.

I pulled back a little to look at him, but kept my hand on his crotch, copping another feel. "Easy there _big_ guy. I bruise easily. I'd rather those bruises be on some more private places, if you know what I mean." God, I was channeling Lester again. "You have any friends? Let's get out of here and have a party." I downed the rest of my beer quickly and hopped off the barstool. I was 6 feet tall in my 5 inch heels, but this guy still towered over me.

He grabbed my upper arm, squeezing tightly, like he thought I might change my mind and started pulling me towards the back. "Hey wait, my car is parked in front," I told him.

He continued dragging me towards the back. I looked up and Cal and Bobby had positioned themselves between me and Parker and the hallway leading to the bathrooms and an emergency exit out the back. They were acting drunk and pushing and shoving each other, effectively blocking the way. Hal, who was playing bouncer tonight, came barreling past us, shoving hard against Parker causing him to lose his grip on my arm. He pretended to break up a fight between Cal and Bobby. There was now a wall of 3 RangeMen standing between me and Parker and the back door.

Parker grabbed me again and shoved me up against the wall, pressing his body roughly against mine and leaned close. "There's a locker room in the back, I thought we could have a private party first," Parker said in my ear, and then he started kissing and biting neck. I had my hands in front of me, up against his chest. I was trying to maintain some space between us, without actually pushing him off. Hal turned his attention to Parker and said, "Back room is for employees only. You want to party, you'll have to leave."

Parker gave Hal a dirty look, grabbed my arm again, and started pulling me toward the front door. I heard Ranger's voice come over my ear piece. "We're in place, Babe. Once you get outside, try to trip and fall or duck down real quickly."

Parker pulled the door open, maintaining his tight grip on my arm. I pretended to stumble and trip as he pulled me across the threshold. As the door closed behind us I virtually dove headfirst into the asphalt parking lot, wrenching my shoulder as my arm pulled out of his grasp.

Ranger and Tank appeared on both sides of Parker, each grabbing an arm and twisting it behind him. I got up and stumbled over to the wall, not even hearing Ranger and Tank as they subdued Parker and got him into the SUV that Binky and Ram drove up in.

I was leaning against the wall, catching my breath and rubbing my arm, eyes closed. Nothing had happened, really, but I felt dirty and contaminated.

"You okay Babe? You were so great," said Ranger as he walked up to me. "He never had a chance."

"I'm okay. Can somebody take me home?" I felt totally numb.

"I have to go handle the transfer to the Feds and take care of paperwork. Lester will drive you in my car. Hal, Cal and Bobby will ride the bikes and one of them will come back for Lester's later," Ranger explained.

I nodded, not looking up. I had my arms wrapped around my upper body like a shield. I felt totally naked and exposed. I'd had skips punch me, shoot me, cut me with knives, and kidnapping and bombings were regular occurrences. This felt different. He had kissed me and left his mark on my neck. UGH! I shivered involuntarily.

"Babe?"

"It's fine, Ranger. I'm just a little cold. I'm going to go home, take a shower, and go to bed. I'll talk to you later, okay?" I looked up, but not at his eyes, and gave a vague smile.

Lester pulled up in Ranger's Cayenne and Ranger opened the door for me. I slid inside and kept my eyes in my lap. Ranger closed the door and Lester started to pull away. I put on my seatbelt and leaned back into the luxurious leather seat, eyes closed.

"You did great, beautiful," said Lester. I saw how he was groping you in the back. You really held it together well. It's a good thing Ranger couldn't see. He would have gone ballistic."

"Mmm hmm," I murmured, keeping my eyes closed. Hopefully Lester would just think I was tired, coming down off my adrenaline high.

We pulled into parking lot and Lester parked the car. He led me upstairs, checking out my apartment before letting me come inside. "Do you need anything before I leave?" he asked me.

"No, I'm good. Thanks for the ride."

Lester left and I locked and bolted the door behind him. I pealed off the sweaty leather clothes, leaving them laying scattered across the floor as I went into the bathroom. I stood under scalding hot water, my skin turning red. I washed my hair and lathered every inch of my body multiple times. Finally, when my skin was pruny and my hot water was gone, I stepped out of the shower. I dried myself off, pulled on a pair of Ranger's silk boxers that had "accidentally" found their way home with me once when I had spent the night at Ranger's, and a black tank top. I crawled into bed, hugged a pillow to my body, and let sleep overcome me.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you again to everyone who is taking the time to read and review. Your comments have been really encouraging and I appreciate them all!

**Chapter 4 Warning - Smut alert! If that kind of thing offends you, please skip this chapter. I'll make sure to sum it up in the next chapter so that you don't miss anything important to the plot.**

_Any characters you recognize belong to JE. I'm just taking them for a spin and will return them unharmed - I promise!_

_Previously:_

_Lester left and I locked and bolted the door behind him. I pealed off the sweaty leather clothes, leaving them laying scattered across the floor as I went into the bathroom. I stood under scalding hot water, my skin turning red. I washed my hair and lathered every inch of my body multiple times. Finally, when my skin was pruny and my hot water was gone, I stepped out of the shower. I dried myself off, pulled on a pair of silk boxers that had "accidentally" found their way home with me once when I had spent the night at Ranger's, and a black tank top. I crawled into bed, hugged a pillow to my body, and let sleep overcome me._

* * *

I came awake slowly sometime later. It was still dark outside my window so I knew it wasn't morning yet. I felt a familiar shiver down my back.

"Ranger?" I called out.

"I'm here Babe." Ranger said. He was sitting in a chair watching me sleep.

"How long have you been there?" I asked.

"Not very long. I didn't mean to wake you. I was worried."

I rolled over on my side so that I could see him. "How did the handoff go?"

"Okay. There was a lot of paperwork. Parker seemed to fall down repeatedly on the way in. Turns out he is a real klutz. Anyway, it's done."

I was remembering the encounter and tears started falling. I rolled onto my back and tried to get my emotions under control.

"Babe, what is it? I knew something wasn't right. Are you hurt?" I could hear the tension in Ranger's voice.

"I can't explain it," I told him.

I had my eyes closed but I could hear Ranger removing his utility belt and boots. Next went his socks and cargoes, and finally his T-shirt. I felt the bed dip as he slid under the sheet next to me. He pulled me up so that I was snuggled next to him, my head resting on his broad chest. He kissed my temple gently. "Tell me what's wrong," he said.

"It's just….I don't know. He kissed me. He forced his tongue into my mouth and cut my lip with his teeth. He marked my neck, Ranger. I can't get the feel of him off me. I've been hurt so much worse physically, but I've never felt so violated. It's like his evil is in my skin and it won't come out." I tried to roll away from Ranger. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to touch me. You'll get infected too!' I was crying harder now, but the more I tried to pull away the more tightly Ranger held me.

"Shhh, Babe…Stephanie, you have to listen to me," Ranger said soothingly. "Those marks don't say anything about who you are as a person, except that you are strong and brave and good. You deal with scum like that and put yourself in danger so that other people, in this case, other women, will be safe. You are the antithesis of evil. You are everything that is right and good, Babe. Do you hear me? The only thing that could possibly infect me is your spirit, and for that I would be proud and honored."

I couldn't speak, just shook my head. He didn't know how wrong he was.

"You are safe and I won't let anything bad happen to you, okay?" Ranger was kissing my hair and rubbing my back. "Please try and get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

Ranger murmured comforting sounds softly in my ear and continued rubbing my back. I felt the tension start to drain away and again sleep overcame me.

* * *

I was at the beach. The sun was beating down on me and warming my skin. I love the beach! I was being lulled by the sound of the waves as they ran up onto the sand and then back into the ocean again. Then I heard what sounded like humming. I went to stretch and sit up to see what it was, when I began to wake up. I had been dreaming. My heat source was actually Ranger, not the sun, and the buzzing was Ranger speaking softly into his cell phone. He shut his phone and pulled me into him again.

"Good morning, Babe," he said softly.

"Morning," I said sleepily. I stretched and sat up. "I'll be back," I told Ranger. I got up and went into the bathroom. I looked at my bloodshot eyes in the mirror and groaned. I used the facilities, washed my hands, and didn't even bother trying to do anything about my hair.

Ranger was sitting up against the headboard with his hands behind his head, leaning back and watching me as I came back into the bedroom.

I sat on the edge of the bed. "Thanks for staying, Ranger."

He dragged me up and into his lap, so that I was lying against him again. "It was my pleasure, Babe. The sound effects alone were worth it," he said chuckling. I playfully slapped his chest, and then grabbed a nipple and twisted, laughing as I tried to lunge away from him.

In a heartbeat, Ranger flipped me onto my back and held me down with his body. "I guess somebody is definitely feeling better this morning. Good enough to play with fire, in fact." He leaned his head down so that our foreheads touched, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Then he got serious again. "I meant every word I said last night, Babe. I want you to always remember that, okay?"

I sighed. I guess playtime was over. "I'm not brave at all, Ranger, and as for good, well, that's out the window too. Just ask my mother."

"I don't need to ask your mother, Stephanie. She doesn't even know who you are, not really. She only knows what she wants you to be. I know who you are and I never lie. You know that," Ranger said, staring into my eyes the entire time.

"Can we just agree to disagree, then?" I asked. "I do feel much better after getting some sleep."

Ranger sat up and started moving his hands across my face. He moved my hair and caressed my neck where Parker had bitten me. He laid gentle kisses against my skin, as if he was kissing away the evil. There were bruises on my upper arm where Parker had grabbed me so tight and dragged me after him. Ranger caressed those as well, and kissed the bruises over and over again. He ran his fingertips gently along my lower lip where Parker's teeth had cut me. He kissed me so gently that I almost couldn't feel our lips touch.

I felt a rush of heat and I threw my arms around Ranger and pulled him tighter to me, deepening the kiss from something gentle to something urgent and hungry. "Make love to me, Ranger, please?" My pride bit the dust and all I felt was the need for him to be inside me, to drive away the demons. I was willing to beg if I had to.

"Are you sure, Babe? You had a rough night. You know I want you. I always want you. I don't want to take advantage if you're vulnerable right now…."

I cut him off with another kiss. "Just shut up already will you?" I smiled against his lips.

Ranger let out a low growl and returned my kisses passionately. God that man can kiss! Suddenly the silk boxers and black tank top were sailing across the room. _How the hell did that happen?_ We were body to body, skin to skin, heat radiating off of us like a furnace. I was on my back and Ranger was on his side next to me, with one leg thrown across the top of mine. He leaned over across my body and took my breast into his mouth, sucking gently at first, and then more deeply, scrapping his teeth across the nipple. I got shivers down my spine and arched my back. "God that feels sooooo goooood," I moaned. I could feel Ranger smile. He began attacking my other breast in earnest, while his hand roamed down my belly and then slowly between my legs. I reached down and ran my fingernails across Ranger's belly and down to his hip, and finally to his rock hard cock. I felt him catch his breath as I let my fingers play lightly across the surface. I wrapped my hand around him and squeezed gently at first and then harder. Ranger groaned, looking up into my eyes. "Are you sure?" he asked again. "Yes. Please don't stop now," I answered.

Ranger's fingers found the wet folds of my pussy and he began caressing me, watching my face to gauge my reaction to each movement. I closed my eyes and let the sensations wash over me. I felt my orgasm building tight in my core, as Ranger found my clit with his thumb, rhythmically stroking, then sliding 2 fingers inside me, curling them to find the perfect spot to drive me wild. I couldn't stop my hips from bucking against his hand.

"That's it, Babe. I want you to cum for me. I want to watch you go over the top." Ranger's voice was low and husky with lust.

My breathing was shallow and I could feel myself getting closer. My legs were trembling and Ranger's fingers kept up their onslaught of my pussy. He pushed a third finger inside me, while his thumb continued rubbing against my clit, bringing me ever closer.

Suddenly I was past the point of no return, "Oh God, don't stop. Omigod, omigod, omigod!" I felt like my whole body was on fire as wave after wave of the orgasm swept over me. I opened my eyes and saw Ranger's eyes as black as coal, staring at my face. I threw back my head and closed my eyes again, while my hips bucked and my legs continued to quiver. Ever so slowly I felt my body start to relax, as each of my muscles began letting go as I came back down to earth. Ranger was showering me with kisses…on my face, my neck, across my breasts, and on my belly.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered. "You have no idea what you do to me."

I reached down and began stroking his cock again. It was hard and hot and I could feel him throbbing under my fingers. "I think I have _some _idea," I said smiling. I slid my body lower on the bed, pushing Ranger's chest so that he dropped back. I trailed wet kisses across his belly, watching him get goosebumps across the wet skin. I kept moving my mouth lower, kissing his belly button and stopping to let my tongue play there for a couple of minutes. I cupped his balls with my hand and gently began massaging and kneading them. Ranger moaned low and deep. "Christ, you're killing me," he said. "Maybe," I answered, "but what a way to go." I smiled into his belly and moved lower still, finally leaving soft kisses along the length of his cock, circling the head with my tongue, teasing the tiny slit there. Ranger groaned again, as I took him into my mouth, as deeply as I could, and began sucking, licking, and tasting every glorious inch. Ranger's hips came off the bed and I could feel him struggling for control.

I heard another deep growl come from Ranger and suddenly I found myself on my back again, Ranger poised above me, his weight on his elbows. I reached down for his cock again, rubbing it against my wet pussy and finally guiding him inside me. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms tightly around him, arching my back and thrusting my breasts out so that he could reach them with his mouth. Ranger began slowly thrusting into me, slowly, excruciatingly, as his mouth found a breast and began sucking, biting the nipple gently. His strokes became more powerful and my hips met his in a perfectly timed rhythm. "Oh God, Ranger," I gasped. I wasn't capable of thoughts more complex than that. I felt that familiar tightening deep in my belly as another orgasm began building. Ranger reached around my waist with one arm, adjusting my position and achieving a different angle as his thrusts became even deeper and harder and faster. "Oh my God. That's it, oh geez…." I was losing the ability to speak at all, the tension rising through my body. "Babe, I'm so close. I want you to cum with me this time. Together." I began to feel myself slip over the edge, as Ranger's mouth again closed in on my breasts, kissing and biting at the nipples, sucking harder. The rhythm of the stroking intensified as Ranger pistoned his hips faster and deeper into me. "Babe," Ranger moaned as his body started to stiffen. I was again experiencing wave after wave of my orgasm and I could barely breathe. I felt him fill me up and warmth spread throughout my groin. He began slowing down, finally stopping, pressed against me, still inside. He gently blew his breath against my sweaty forehead, bumping noses and kissing my lips.

"You okay, Babe?"

"Mmm Hmmm," was all I could manage to get out.

Ranger chuckled, nuzzling my neck. Finally he pulled out of me and rolled onto his back, pulling me with him so that I was leaned up against him, the full length off our bodies still touching. He pulled the sheet back over us. My body was like a mass of Jello and I feared what would happen if there was a fire and I had to move. I think I would just have to lay there and happily die. There was no way these legs were moving any time soon.

"Babe, don't worry. We have a sprinkler system." Ranger laughed.

"Did I say that out loud?" I asked. I got my answer from the amused look on Ranger's face."

I looked at him seriously for a minute. "You did it. You chased all the ugly away. Thank you, Ranger."

"Any time, Babe, any time."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Notes - **This is a "talky" chapter, not a lot of action. However, it is (I hope) setting up the rest of the story and the summary will begin to make sense in the coming chapters. Thanks again to all who have been reading and reviewing. Since this is my first attempt at fan fiction, your constructive criticism is really appreciated.

_Previously:_

_"Tell me what's wrong," Ranger said. _

_"It's just….I don't know. He kissed me. He forced his tongue into my mouth and cut my lip with his teeth. He marked my neck, Ranger. I can't get the feel of him off me. I've been hurt so much worse physically, but I've never felt so violated. It's like his evil is in my skin and it won't come out." I tried to roll away from Ranger. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to touch me. You'll get infected too!' I was crying harder now, but the more I tried to pull away the more tightly Ranger held me._

_"Shhh, Babe…Stephanie, you have to listen to me," Ranger said soothingly. "Those marks don't say anything about who you are as a person, except that you are strong and brave and good. You deal with scum like that and put yourself in danger so that other people, in this case, other women, will be safe. You are the antithesis of evil. You are everything that is right and good, Babe. Do you hear me? The only thing that could possibly infect me is your spirit, and for that I would be proud and honored."_

_I couldn't speak, just shook my head. He didn't know how wrong he was._

The next morning, after the smut (!):

_I looked at him seriously for a minute. "You did it. You chased all the ugly away. Thank you, Ranger."_

* * *

Ranger and I slept again, my back to his front, with his arms protectively around me. I wanted to stay wrapped in his arms forever. I lay as still as possible, willing my breathing to remain steady so that he wouldn't wake up. I wished with all my heart that we could stay that way forever. I knew that reality would come, Ranger would remind me that he doesn't do relationships and all the rest. Honestly, it would break my heart, but I wouldn't have given up this time together for anything. It wasn't the sex, although that was spectacular, but the total sense of peace and serenity I felt inside, that this was so right, that he was my life. Ranger was my best friend and I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that. I had to make sure that I didn't do anything to push him away. If he knew how much I loved him, he would send me away, or take himself out of the picture, move to another RangeMan city. I would do whatever it took to stay a part of his life, in whatever way he would accept me.

"Something burning there, Babe?" Ranger said softly.

"I thought you were sleeping," I answered back to him. "How long have you been awake?"

"As long as you have, but I like lying here with you," Ranger said as he kissed my neck and shoulder.

He gently rolled me over so that we were lying on our sides facing each other. "We need to talk, Babe."

My heart started racing and I focused on breathing in and out, trying not to let Ranger see the panic in my eyes. "Do we have to?" I whined. _Oh great, whining. That will really turn him on._

"Everything about you turns me on, Babe," said Ranger with that almost-smile of his playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Did I say that out loud?" I asked. I have got to stop doing that!

"I want to ask you about Morelli. Are you and he finished for good this time? I know that in the past I've encouraged you to work things out with him. Forget about me for a second. What do you want? Do you want a future with Morelli?" Ranger's eyes never left mine as he spoke.

"I do want a future with Morelli," I started to answer. I could feel Ranger stiffen next to me. "Wait, let me finish. I want a future with Morelli as my friend, and that's all. He's been in and out of my life for as long as I can remember. I love him and he'll always have a special place in my heart, but I don't love him the way he loves me. I never did. It was more that I loved the idea of being in love with him. Right now he says he can't be my friend, but if he ever feels that he can be my friend, then that's what I want."

"What about me?" Ranger asked. "Do you want a future with me?"

My heart was beating so loudly in my chest that I was surprised I could hear Ranger's voice over the pounding. "You're my best friend, Ranger. I don't ever want to do anything to lose you."

"Why would you think you would lose me? I've told you that I love you. Do you think I take that statement lightly or that I've said that to a lot of women?"

"No, I don't think you have, Ranger. I'm in awe that you would feel that way about me. I don't know why you would when I blow up your cars and break your men with frightening regularity." I answer back.

I continued, "But, you've also made it clear that you don't want a relationship with me. I'm afraid that eventually you'll push me away, or you'll just go away and never come back. I don't want to get married and have kids right now, and maybe I never will, but I can't settle for less than a committed relationship. I'd rather give that up and remain your friend forever, than have you get tired of me or feel that I want more from you than you are willing to give, and then have you push me away."

"Stephanie, think about it," Ranger said. "I know I said that I didn't want a relationship, but friendship is a relationship. Besides my core team, the men who have saved my life more times than I care to admit and whose lives I have saved as well, you are my best friend. Your friendship isn't based on the bonds men form in war, when trust in your fellow soldiers is the only thing that keeps you alive. You see me in a way that nobody else does. You see past my 'blank face,' as you call it. I can see it in your eyes, when everyone else around me, including my men, thinks that I am showing no emotion, you know how I feel. You see past the mask. It scares the hell out of me."

Ranger took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a minute. I waited for him to continue. He had spoken more to me in the last few minutes than the last 3 years, but it wasn't enough yet. It still felt unfinished.

"Babe, can we try this again? I want to be your mentor, friend, and your lover. Only you. I don't share. I won't pretend that I like the idea of you being friends with Morelli, but I won't stop you. I won't try to do to you what he tried to do. I'm not going to stop trying to get you to eat better, exercise more, and improve your skills. That's just who I am. But I do love you, in this moment, exactly the way you are and I don't want to change you."

I was stunned. Ranger loved me? And he didn't qualify that love? He's pouring out his heart to me? Who is this guy?

"I have always been this guy, Babe." _Oh geez. I said it out loud again! _

Ranger continued, "I'm also a mercenary and a bad ass. I've done scary things and I've seen more than my share of horrors. I've seen people at their absolute worst. You see all the parts of me, even the parts that nobody else does, parts that I didn't even realize were there. I'm tired of fighting my feelings. I love you."

I felt a lightness in my chest and thought I would float away. I never expected this. I hoped and dreamed and I would have sold my soul to the devil if given the chance, but I never expected it.

"I love you, Ranger. I have for a long time. It scares me and thrills me at the same time. I know that you have a scary past and you can be a scary guy. The thing is, I wouldn't change those things if I could, because they are part of who you are. I'd be shocked and probably disappointed if you didn't push me to do better, be better, eat yucky green stuff." I was rewarded with a grin. "Even when you are pushing me, I never get the feeling that you don't respect who I am or accept me for who I am, donuts and ice cream and all."

My heart was still pounding and I had one more thing that I needed to say. "I don't share either, Ranger. I don't need a ring. Hell, I don't even need a condom - I've got the birth control thing handled on my end. But I need to know that you are committed to us, and a future together. And if it doesn't work out, for whatever reason, you have to promise me that I won't lose your friendship. I couldn't survive that."

"Babe, if I didn't feel that I could do all those things we wouldn't be having this conversation. I'd already be back at RangeMan, telling myself that we couldn't be together and that I couldn't think about the future. I'm here now, with you, having this conversation. That's a big step for me."

I looked into Ranger's eyes and saw the love there that I knew was reflected in my own. "You love me," I said simply.

"I love you," Ranger replied.

"Thank you," I said. "Thank you for believing me, for accepting me for who I am, for helping me believe in myself, for loving me."

"Thank you," Ranger said. "Thank you for allowing me to live again, to feel again, to love again. Thank you for loving me."

"You really love me," I said again. I couldn't stop a huge grin from spreading across my face.

"I'm afraid so," Ranger returned my smile.

I stretched and arched my back, feeling the tension release from my body. "Show me," I said.

"Gladly," Ranger said simply.

And he did.


	6. Chapter 6

Continued thanks to everyone for your terrific reviews and encouragement. There seemed to be some glitches with chapter 5, but hopefully they all resolved when I re-loaded the chapter. Crossing my fingers that this chapter won't give anybody any trouble.

As always, all the characters you recognize belong to JE and I'm just having fun with them.

**Smut warning for this chapter! It's down towards the end of the chapter. If that kind of thing offends you, please just skip it. **

* * *

_Previously:_

_"You really love me," I said again. I couldn't stop a huge grin from spreading across my face._

_"I'm afraid so," Ranger returned my smile._

_I stretched and arched my back, feeling the tension release from my body. "Show me," I said._

_"Gladly," Ranger said simply._

_And he did._

* * *

**2 Weeks Later**

I ran across the parking lot and into my apartment building, bounding up the stairs, not wanting to waste time waiting for the elevator. Ranger was taking me out tonight and I was running late. Ranger is _never _late. I needed to shower, shave, and exfoliate. If there was anything that 2 weeks of steady hot Cuban sex had taught me, it was that Ranger would not be happy until he had explored, kissed, tasted, and generally fondled every inch of my body from my toes to my scalp and all points in between. My shower massage was looking a little forlorn and neglected. What can I say? I'm fickle.

I was juggling shopping bags (emergency trip to Victoria's Secret), my shoulder bag and fumbling with my keys. I brushed against the door and it moved slightly. I stopped dead in my tracks. The door was unlocked and unlatched. Despite the fact that my locks don't keep out anybody, I am very good about using them. Hope springs eternal that they might stop somebody someday. Apparently, today wasn't one of those days.

I dropped my bags on the floor and grabbed my gun out of my handbag. Oh joy! It was actually loaded. I flipped open my cell phone and speed dialed Ranger.

"Yo," Ranger answered.

"Yo yourself," I replied. "I have a bit of a situation."

"Babe?"

"I'm in the hallway outside my apartment. My door wasn't locked when I came home, but I know I locked it before I left. It's probably nothing. I have my gun and I'm going inside. I just wanted to give you a heads up."

"Hang on," Ranger said. I could hear him on the phone with the control room. "Hal, who do we have near Steph's apartment? Get them there asap!"

"Babe, Lester and Bobby are only 5 minutes away. I'm on my way, too."

"Okay. I'm hanging up. I want both hands on my gun." I hung up quickly before Ranger could tell me to wait for him.

I pushed the door open with my foot until it swung wide. Holding my gun out in front of me, I slowly started into the room. My heart was in my throat and I could feel tears trying to form in my eyes, which were held open wide. My apartment was completely destroyed. Every piece of furniture, every dish, the contents of every cupboard in the kitchen was broken and strewn around the space. I couldn't believe my eyes. I felt frozen in place and couldn't get one foot in front of the other to move towards the bedroom. Finally, I heard someone calling my name.

"Steph, Beautiful!" It was Lester. He reached out and grabbed the waistband of my jeans and pulled me backwards out of the doorway. "Wait for Ranger out here," he said. He and Bobby disappeared inside. I leaned against the far wall and felt my legs give way as I slid down to the floor. A couple of minutes later Lester and Bobby came back into the hallway. "It's all clear, Steph. Whoever it was is gone." I reached out to Bobby and he hauled me to my feet just as the stairway door banged open and Ranger came charging down the hallway.

"Report!" he barked as he pulled me into a hug.

"It's a total loss, Boss," said Bobby. All her furniture, dishes, everything. Even the food in the fridge and cabinets. Her clothes are slashed, her shoes….."

"My shoes!" I shrieked. That was just too much. "What kind of a sicko murders innocent shoes?" I started to charge into the apartment, but Ranger held me tight.

"Babe, stop! Please!" He was so lucky he said please. I was not in the mood for caveman Ranger. "We need to call the cop shop so TPD can do their thing."

"Oh God! It's going to be all over the Burg. Steph attracts another psycho. Why me?" I whined.

"Channeling your mom there, Babe," Ranger smiled at me.

Huh! Ranger made a joke. Odd timing, true, but a joke nonetheless. I sighed and took a deep breath.

"Don't quit your day job, Batman. I don't think you're ready for Letterman yet."

"Smart ass," he replied.

I bumped him with my hip. Ranger cupped my face with his hand and stared at me. "Are you okay, really?"

"As long as I have you," I replied.

"You have me," he said.

"Then I'm okay."

Bobby came back out into the hallway again. "Cops are here."

I stood around for the next 2 hours answering questions and waiting while the cops checked for fingerprints or any other evidence. They had me look to see if anything was missing, but I really couldn't tell. Everything was just destroyed. Even poor Rex wasn't left undisturbed. He was okay, but the bedding had been pulled out of his house and his soup can was crushed!

Morelli didn't come by to check on me and I have to admit that that hurt a little bit. Somethig to think about later, I guess.

Finally Ranger came over to talk to me. "Babe. Other than me and you, whose fingerprints would be in the apartment?"

"Well, Joe was here 2 or 3 weeks ago. Lester and Tank have both been here to pick me up, but I don't know if they really touched anything. Dillon fixed a leaky faucet a few days ago. I don't think anybody else." I answered.

Ranger walked back over to the investigation team and gave them the information and then came back to me. "We can go now, Babe."

"I guess you can take me to my mom's." I said with a sigh. UGH!

Ranger cocked an eyebrow at me. "Come stay on 7 with me." Ranger pulled me into a hug and kissed me lightly. "You know your mom will drive you crazy in a few hours."

"Ranger, you know I'm a nightmare to live with. We're getting along so well. I love you and I don't want to jinx it."

"Babe. I love you and you are not a nightmare. I promise to let Ella make you pancakes if you promise not to roll your eyes at my sticks and twigs." I could feel Ranger smile against my lips.

"Okay, it's a deal. Thank you." _Unlimited Bulgari body wash and Ranger-induced orgasms in my immediate future. Life was looking up._

Ranger drove us to RangeMan and we were quiet, lost in our own thoughts as we fobbed our way up to 7 and into the apartment. He threw the keys onto the table as we went inside, then grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the couch and down onto his lap.

"We need to talk," Ranger said. I tensed up, not liking the sound of that.

"Relax, Babe. Just talking. Like grown ups." That earned him my best eye roll.

Ranger continued, "Would you please consider staying here until we know what happened at your apartment? That kind of destruction is usually pretty personal, Babe. It's not likely just some random vandalism."

I sighed. "You mean on 'lock-down' in the building? God, Ranger. You know how much I hate that!"

Ranger hugged me tighter. "Can you please try, for me? If we don't know anything in a couple of days, then I promise I'll get you out of here and take you somewhere else. And before you freak out, NOT a safe house. Okay?"

"Are you going to make it worth my while?" I waggled my eyebrows at him.

"I think we could figure something out," Ranger said. "What did you have in mind?"

I turned so that I was straddling Ranger's lap and wrapped my legs around his waist. I leaned in and gave him a smile and a kiss. "Remember how you said you would ruin me for all other men?" I kissed his ear.

"Mmm hmm," Ranger answered.

"Well, that big blond cop in my apartment was looking pretty good tonight. I don't think I'm completely ruined yet." I kissed and nipped at Ranger's neck. "Think you can handle finishing the job?" I ran my fingers through Ranger's silky hair.

"I'm the man for the job," Ranger answered.

In one swift movement Ranger jumped up from the couch and stalked off toward the bedroom, with me still wrapped around his waist. I found myself flying through the air and landed in the middle of the bed with a thud.

Ranger dove in on top of me, pinning me to the bed. "I never leave a job undone, Babe. You shouldn't pull the Tiger's tail."

"Be right back," I said as I jumped away from Ranger and into the bathroom. I used the facilities and washed up, stripped out of my clothes, and wrapped myself into Ranger's robe.

When I came back out, Ranger was naked, stretched out on the bed with his hands behind his head.

"Yum," I said.

"See something you like, Babe?"

"I can take it or leave it," I said with my best nonchalant face.

"Liar," Ranger smiled at me.

"You bet."

I climbed onto the bed, pulling my robe off, and sliding up next to Ranger.

"God, Babe. Do you have any idea how beautiful you are? I can't get enough of you. I don't think I'll ever get enough of you."

Ranger rolled over, pinning me to the bed, attacking my neck and shoulders with his mouth. Ranger's mouth is magic. I moaned and stretched as he nibbled down to my breasts, taking first one and then the other in his mouth, giving each equal time. He sucked and nipped at my nipples, causing shivers down my spine.

I arched my back and thrust my chest toward him. I wanted more. He began kneading one breast while keeping his mouth on the other. He twisted and pinched my nipple. I could feel my juices flowing and that ache building in my groin.

"Oh, God! Ranger. I want you inside me!"

"Not yet, Babe," Ranger growled into my chest. He began moving down my body with his mouth, while keeping up the assault on my breasts with his hands. Finally his hands moved down to my hips and held me still, while he started stroking my pussy with his tongue, through my wet folds and teasing my clit, circling and nibbling, but never touching it. I struggled to move my hips, trying to get the pressure that I was desperate for.

"Patience, Babe." Ranger chuckled into my pussy causing reverberations throughout my body.

"Oh, God, Ranger. I need to cum. Make me cum, please!"

Ranger cupped my ass with his hands, pulling me up so that he could gain better access, his tongue moving in and out, then sucking at my juices and pulling on my clit with his lips.

I was bucking uncontrollably. "Omigod, omigod, Ranger, omigod, Rangerrrrr. Don't stop, omigod I'm going to cum."

Ranger reached up and massaged one of my breasts, then simultaneously pinched my nipple and bit my clit, sending me crashing over the abyss.

"That's it, Babe, cum for me. I love to watch you come." The vibrations of Ranger's voice against my pussy sent another wave of orgasm crashing over me.

Ranger continued licking and sucking my folds, slowing down and trailing kisses on the inside of my thighs as I struggled to catch my breath and control my breathing.

He kissed his way back up my body, finally nuzzling into my neck and burying his head in the riot of curls around my head.

"I love you, Ranger." I said between breaths.

"I love you, Babe, more than you can imagine." I could feel Ranger smile against my neck.

"Can I ask a favor, then?"

"Anything, Babe."

"I want you inside me. I don't think I'm ruined yet."

I got a full on Ranger smile. God the man was sex on a stick!

We rolled onto our sides facing each other. Ranger raised my top leg and slid his leg between mine. We were hip to hip and face to face, lips just millimeters apart. Ranger slid his cock into my pussy, inch by agonizing inch, slowly bringing us together as one. He began slowing rocking, his hips, sliding against me, slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. There was something so sexy, so sensual, so completely intoxicating about the eye contact, the closeness of our lips, feeling his breath against my lips and mine against his as we breathed each other's air. Again, I could feel the ache building and I moved against him, letting him set the pace.

"I love you, Carlos."

Ranger's eyes widened with surprise. It was the first time I'd used his real name. He brought his lips to mine and kissed me gently, then more deeply, as we continued to move our bodies in perfect rhythm. The kiss deepened and became more demanding.

I found myself flipped onto my back, my legs over Ranger's shoulders. _How does the man do it?_ We never lost contact as Ranger was on his knees, my legs on his shoulders, and he was pistoning into me, harder and faster, then more slowly and then faster again.

"Tell me what you want, Babe."

"Harder, Carlos. Faster. Please!" I was panting now and it was hard to speak.

Ranger adjusted the angle of my hips and all of a sudden he was deeper. The pressure building was excruciating and I thought I would lose my mind.

"I'm going to cum again."

Ranger started pumping faster and harder. "God, Babe. You make me lose control!"

I was on the brink and Ranger reached between us, rubbing my clit. I clutched at my breasts, pinching my nipples.

"Yes, Babe, yes. Let me see you play with yourself."

I arched my back, kneading and pinching my nipples. Ranger was pistoning in and out, faster and faster, and then with a flick of my clit, I came apart at the seams, calling his name as the most intense orgasm of my life swept over me. Ranger growled out my name and I could feel his hot cum spilling into me, as he called my name over and over again.

Ranger kept moving inside me as my walls clinched around his cock, milking him dry. My muscles had a mind of their own, clinching and releasing and clinching again as Ranger moaned and slowed his strokes. He lowered my legs, but stayed inside me, leaning down so that he was on top of me, but bearing most of his weight on his forearms. He was kissing my cheeks, my nose, my lips, my hair. Finally, he stilled, resting his forehead against mine, looking into my eyes.

"It's never been…, I mean, have you….?" Ranger was struggling to express himself. I could see the emotion in his eyes.

"God, no, Carlos. I've never, ever felt anything like that. It's so unreal. I didn't even know it could be like that." I answered him.

"You turned the tables on me, Steph."

I was confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'm completely ruined for all other women. There can't ever be anybody else now. Ruining was supposed to be my job, not yours."

I smiled and looked into his eyes. "It was a mutual ruining, definitely."

"Not interested in the blond cop any more?" He smiled as he spoke.

"What blond cop?"

"Good answer, Babe."

Ranger finally rolled off me, and I shivered as our bodies lost contact. I snuggled back into his side and he tucked my head against his chest, wrapping me in his arms. My eyes grew heavy and Ranger kissed the top of my head. "Sleep now, Babe."

"Mmmmm" was all I could manage to say, as the peace and warmth of being safe in Ranger's arms enveloped me. And I slept.


	7. Chapter 7

**Continued thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing my story. It really helps motivate me to know that somebody is actually reading and looking forward to more!**

**As always, all the characters you recognize belong to JE and I'm just having fun with them.**

_Previously:_

_"You turned the tables on me, Steph."_

_I was confused. "What do you mean?"_

_"I'm completely ruined for all other women. There can't ever be anybody else now. Ruining was supposed to be my job, not yours."_

_I smiled and looked into his eyes. "It was a mutual ruining, definitely."_

_"Not interested in the blond cop any more?" He smiled as he spoke._

_"What blond cop?" _

_"Good answer, Babe."_

_Ranger finally rolled off me, and I shivered as our bodies lost contact. I snuggled back into his side and he tucked my head against his chest, wrapping me in his arms. My eyes grew heavy and Ranger kissed the top of my head. "Sleep now, Babe."_

_"Mmmmm" was all I could manage to say, as the peace and warmth of being safe in Ranger's arms enveloped me. And I slept._

* * *

I woke the next morning to the smell of coffee and bacon. Wait, bacon? My stomach growled and I jumped out of bed and pulled on the discarded robe from the night before. I washed up in the bathroom and then went into the kitchen.

Ranger was standing at the stove, his back to me, frying bacon. "Good morning, Babe."

"You're cooking? And Bacon? Oh, and good morning to you, too." I replied.

Ranger chuckled. "I thought you might want a quota of grease this morning. Ella is bringing up some fresh blueberry muffins, too. She should be here shortly."

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. I went and let Ella into the apartment. She came in with a basket covered with a blue towel. "Good morning, Stephanie dear. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Good morning, Ella. I think that aliens came and kidnapped Ranger overnight. They left a bacon-cooking imposter in his place."

Ella laughed. "So I see. Should we torture him and make him talk?"

_Hmmm. Not a bad idea. Maybe I'll try out some interrogation techniques on him later. _I thought to myself.

"Babe!" Ranger barked out a laugh.

Ella was laughing and gave me a hug. "You are priceless!"

"I said that out loud didn't I?" My face was beet red. "I've got to stop doing that."

Ella left her basket on the kitchen counter and turned to leave. "I'll be back later to grab the laundry and straighten up. You two enjoy your breakfast."

Ranger and I sat on barstools at the kitchen counter and ate our bacon and muffins. Well, I ate bacon and blueberry muffins and Ranger ate a bran muffin.

I was thinking about my apartment and what a pain in my ass it was going to be to get everything straightened out and I let out a sigh.

"What's wrong, Babe?"

"I was just thinking that I have to get over to my apartment and clean up the mess. I don't have any clothes or dishes or anything. It's going to be an empty shell. I mean, I didn't have anything that wasn't a hand-me-down or from a thrift shop, but still it was all I had. Dillon is going to have to fix all the cabinets. I don't know how long it is all going to take. My credit cards are maxed out and I need to buy everything!"

"Steph, Babe, you know that I'll help you."

"I know you will, Ranger, but I'm an adult and I need to be able to take care of myself."

Ranger looked pained. "Babe, I hate for you to have to spend it this way, but you are due a portion of RangeMan's take for the Parker capture. It usually takes us 30 days to collect from the feds and then everyone involved will be getting their take. You should be seeing yours within the next 2 weeks. It will be close to $10,000."

"Thank, God!" I was so relieved. I wouldn't have to sleep on an air mattress.

I looked at Ranger and he had his blank face on. "Ranger? What's wrong? Please don't shut down on me."

Ranger breathed in and out slowly, then looked at me. "I just like having you here, Babe."

"And I love being here, Ranger, but we've only been a couple for about 2 of weeks. It's too soon to think about living together. I'm such a disaster….."

"Stephanie!" Ranger shouted.

_Shit, he used my full name._

"Stop putting yourself down all the time. You are not a disaster. Some really crappy things have happened to you that are not your fault! Let me ask you something. Do you think I'm smart?

"Of course, I do."

"Do you think I'm successful?"

"Ranger, that's dumb. Everyone knows how successful you are."

"Am I careless? Do I take un-calculated risks?"

"No, you plan everything to the nth degree. You do things that would be risky for other less prepared, less skilled people, but not so much for you."

"So, if I am smart and successful, never careless, if I try to plan for every contingency, do I seem like the kind of man who would fall in love with a woman who was a nightmare and a disaster?"

I was staring at the floor and couldn't even look Ranger in the eye. "I don't….."

"Stephanie, Babe," Carlos' voice softened. "Women have thrown themselves at me for years. I'm sorry to say that I've not always treated them well. I've taken what I needed from them and moved on quickly, frighteningly quickly. I never lied to any of them about what I wanted or what I could give them. Regardless, I know that some of them have been hurt by my actions. I haven't let anyone touch me emotionally. Until you. I love you with all my heart. Please don't diminish me by putting yourself down. If you can't believe how special you are, at least think of the kind of man you believe me to be, and think of the kind of woman who deserves my love. That's you. Please."

"Ranger….Carlos. I'm sorry. I don't know what I've done to deserve you, to deserve your love, but I know you don't give that love easily. I don't give mine easily either. I've trusted you implicitly since the day we met. I trust you with my heart. I just have a habit of putting myself down before anyone else gets a chance to do it. It hurts less that way. I'm sorry. I'll try to stop."

Ranger came over and pulled me off my stool, wrapping me in his arms and gave me a toe curling kiss.

Pulling away slightly, but keeping me wrapped in his arms, Ranger continued, "How about this. You stay with me for the next couple of weeks while we get your apartment cleaned up and Dillon makes the necessary repairs. When your bonus money comes in for Parker, we'll talk again. We've been friends for a long time, Steph. It isn't like we just met 2 weeks ago. I'd like you to consider moving in with me, but if you aren't ready I won't push you. I promise. I'll even help you shop. RangeMan buys a lot of furniture for safe houses, the apartments here, and the offices. I have good contacts. I can help you save as much money as possible."

"Thank you, Carlos" I leaned in close for another kiss.

Ranger's cell phone rang and he looked at the display. He gave me a funny look and answered, "Morelli."

I looked up in surprise at the name. Ranger held up a hand and listened intently to what was being said. He was in blank face mode again. "Can you be here in an hour? Okay, we'll see you then." Ranger snapped his phone shut.

"What did Joe want?" I asked.

"He has some information about your apartment. It might be connected to an undercover case he was involved in some months ago. He didn't give me details. He'll be here in an hour."

"We've been broken up for almost 3 months. Why would anyone come after me now?"

"I don't know Babe; hopefully Morelli will have some answers."

Ranger and I quickly showered and changed. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and didn't bother with makeup. I didn't want Ranger to think I was sprucing up for Joe. I didn't want Joe to think I was sprucing up for Joe. Deep down inside, I kind of wanted to spruce up for Joe. Another hard to break habit, I guess.

We headed out of the apartment and into the elevator, assuming our "elevator pose" as I had come to think of it. Ranger always leaned against the back wall with me pulled against him, my back to his front. He would rest his cheek against the top of my head and wrap his arms around me. I could ride the elevator all day with Ranger!

I went to my cubicle to check my inbox and Ranger headed to his office. We still had about 15 minutes before Joe would be there, so I booted up my computer and got my first search of the day started. It would take some time to work through all my search engines, so I went to the break room to get coffee. I grabbed my coffee with cream and sugar and a bottle of water and stopped by Ranger's office.

"Hey Babe" Ranger said without looking up. I smiled to myself. I love how we can feel each other's presence.

"Water?" I asked, holding out the bottle. "Thanks, Babe."

I sat in a chair across from Ranger and sipped my coffee.

"Babe, you had at least 3 cups of coffee already upstairs."

I just rolled my eyes over the top of my cup and blinked a few times. "You don't want 'caffeine deprived' Steph in the building, trust me."

Ranger chuckled. The intercom buzzed and Ranger hit the speaker. "Yo."

"Morelli is here. Hal is escorting him to Conference Room A"

"10-4." Ranger clicked off the speaker.

Ranger grasped my hand and pulled me up, giving me a quick kiss before we headed into the hallway. We made our way to the conference room just as the elevator door opened and Hal and Joe stepped off.

"We've got it from here, Hal," Ranger told him.

"Boss," Hal replied, stepping back into the elevator as the door slid closed.

Joe came down the hallway and stopped as he approached us. "Manosos," he said, sticking out his hand. Ranger didn't hesitate as he shook his hand, "Morelli."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, _Joe,_ and _Ranger_" I said as I emphasized their first names. _Men are such babies, _I thought to myself.

Ranger lifted an eyebrow and Joe laughed, breaking his 'cop face' momentarily.

"I said that out loud, didn't I? I've got to stop doing that!"

We each took seats at the table, Ranger and I on the far side, next to each other, and Joe across from us. He slid a folder to Ranger.

"There were no fingerprints in the apartment that didn't seem to belong there, according to the list of names you gave us. The techs decided to dust the elevator and the lobby, as well as the doorjamb around your apartment. We ran every print we got through AFIS. Most of them didn't get any hits. A few did. You and Stephanie, a couple of your men, a few cops, and then Terri Gilman and William Conti."

"Terri Gilman!" I almost shouted. "What the hell was she doing in my building?"

Terri Gilman was Joe's off and on girlfriend throughout high school and rumor had it that he had always remained involved with her, even when he and I were together, although Joe always denied this. They had worked together several times, as Terri occasionally worked as a liaison between her family (and that's Family with a capital "F") and the Trenton PD, when it was mutually beneficial for her to do so. I will admit to always being incredibly jealous of her.

Ranger placed his hand on my thigh, which gave me instant comfort. I don't know how he does that. "Let him finish, Babe."

Joe continued speaking to Ranger, I realized, like I wasn't even in the room.

"We worked all night, but haven't been able to find any connection between either of them and anyone else in the building." Joe ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath.

"Several months ago Terri and I went undercover in Newark. The Giardano Family is known for gunrunning and heroin distribution in that area. We all know that Terri's family is small potatoes compared to some of the other organized crime families, but they are well entrenched and fiercely protective of their interests in and around Trenton. Terri agreed to help us bring down the Giardanos in order to prevent them from encroaching into Trenton."

"Joe, get to the point. What the hell was Terri doing in my building and who the hell is William Conti?" It was really irking me that he continued to address Ranger, as if I weren't even in the room. "And look at me for God's sake!"

Joe looked at me briefly, then back at Ranger. "The entire operation was a cluster fuck from the get go. The Giardanos didn't trust Terri when she told them that I was dirty and that she and I were together. She tried to convince them that she wanted a more active role in the family but her uncle Vito wouldn't allow it. She offered to help the Giardanos get established in Trenton in exchange for an active role in their organization. They kept us at arm's length for weeks." He looked at me finally. "You remember, Stephanie. I was gone for about 6 weeks. You knew that Terri disappeared from Trenton around the same time. I wasn't able to contact you. You were pissed when I got back."

I nodded at him.

He continued, "William Conti was her contact with the Giardanos. Apparently she was working him on the side. I didn't know. She brought him to Trenton all the time. You were staying at my house, taking care of Bob. Terri brought Conti to your apartment and used it for a 'fuck shack' as she very delicately put it. I confronted her first thing this morning. Apparently they were careful to wipe down prints inside, but didn't worry about the public areas. She was pissed, said that after a few weeks Conti started asking more and more about you, looking up articles about you in the newspaper, becoming obsessed. You can imagine how that went over."

I jumped out of my seat. "That bitch! Stupid fucking cunt! I will kill her. She invaded my space, got naked and did God knows what…." I was so livid I was losing the ability to speak. I began pacing back and forth across the conference room. Ranger, very wisely, didn't try to stop me. He let me pace and rant for a few more minutes and when I finally lost steam and flopped down in the chair again, he reached out to hold my hand, gently rubbing circles with his thumb, willing me to calm down.

Joe continued, "At first I thought that Terri trashed your apartment, in a jealous rage over Conti. She swears she didn't. She thinks it was Conti himself. He would screw Terri and call your name. Conti would grab her and bring her to your apartment, and act like she was you. Finally Vito had a talk with one of the Giardanos and Conti stopped calling or coming around Terri. Apparently he was sent out of town, but got back about a week ago. Terri thinks that Conti has now turned his rage against the 'real' Stephanie, since he can't get to her anymore."

"Why would you believe, Terri?" I spat at Joe.

"Think about it, Steph. This is Terri we're talking about. If she trashed your apartment, she'd probably be singing about it from the rooftops for God's sake. She wouldn't care who knew."

I had to think about that. It was probably true.

Ranger finally spoke. "What do we know about Conti?"

"Everything I have is in that report," he nodded towards the folder. "He's not a nice guy. He's worked his way up by eliminating problems for the family. All kinds of problems."

"But I'm not a problem, I don't know anything about his 'family!'" My voice raised a couple of octaves.

"He sees you as a problem, Steph. I really don't know why. He's pissed at Terri and you and Terri are mixed up in his mind somehow."

Ranger stood up. "Thanks for bringing this all to me, Joe. I know you didn't have to do that."

"Look, TPD will investigate this and we'll try and find Conti, but I know that you have search engines available and more resources than we do. Terri and I were supposed to be partners in this. I feel responsible." He turned his gaze to me and sighed. "It's incredibly ironic that I berated you for your association with Ranger and how he would endanger you. It looks like you had more to fear from me."

"I won't lie to you, Joe," I said. "I am really pissed right now. Pissed at you and pissed at Terri. But I've had more than my fair share of crazies that I've attracted all on my own. I'm mad at you in general, but I don't blame you for Conti."

We walked into the hallway and said our goodbyes. Hal appeared out of the elevator as if by magic, and Joe stepped in with him. I watched him until the doors closed.

We walked down the hall and back into Ranger's office. I sighed and Ranger put his arms around me, enveloping me in his warmth. "We'll find him, Babe. I promise. We'll get this guy and he won't be able to hurt you."

"I know, Ranger. I'm just feeling a little sorry for myself. It will pass. Maybe it's your lucky day. I don't know if I can ever step in that apartment again, knowing that Terri was fucking some psycho in my bed."

"Babe. You being stalked is definitely not lucky for me. Don't you think I care about you more than that? If and when you decide to move in with me, I want it to be because of how you feel about me and about us, not because you're running away from your apartment. If it comes down to it, I'll help you find a new place. Living with me has to be your free choice, a choice that makes you happy, because it is going to make me ecstatic."

"I'm sorry. That was thoughtless of me to say. I'm just out of sorts. I don't know what to think or feel right now."

Ranger sat down on the sofa, pulling me onto his lap. "Our immediate plan doesn't have to change, Babe. We'll get your apartment cleaned up, wait for your reward money to come through, and then we'll revisit the 'living together' discussion later. In the meantime, all available RangeMan resources will be used to find this guy and keep you safe."

I started to protest that I wasn't worth the trouble, but I remembered our discussion from earlier that day. If Ranger loved me enough to do that for me, then I would gratefully accept. _What a concept!_

"Thank you, Ranger. I love you."

"I love you, too, Babe." Ranger held me for a long time, his arms providing all the comfort that I needed right then. Finally, I moved to stand up, pulling Ranger up with me.

"Let's get to work and catch this guy so we can get on with our lives!"

Ranger moved to his desk and I headed to the door, to get back to my searches. I was determined to enjoy my stay with Ranger and let the future take care of itself. We would catch this guy. Failure wasn't an option.

I flashed a smile at Ranger, "See you on 7 for lunch?" I asked. "I'd like to practice those interrogation techniques."

I got the full 200 watt smile from Ranger. "I'm a trained mercenary, Babe. It won't be easy."

"I do love a challenge, Ranger. I do love a challenge!" I flipped my hair over my shoulder as I sashayed out of the office and down the hall. I was really looking forward to lunch!


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to everyone who has stuck with my story and is still reading. To those of you taking the time to leave your reviews, you are all awesome!**

**As always, all the characters you recognize belong to JE and I'm just having fun with them.**

**Chapter Notes: This chapter is PURE SMUT, just for fun. Nothing to do with advancing the plot. I just couldn't help myself. If you aren't into the smut, you can safely just skip to the next chapter without missing anything. Next chapter should be up tonight. Thanks!**

_Previously:_

_Ranger moved to his desk and I headed to the door, to get back to my searches. I was determined to enjoy my stay with Ranger and let the future take care of itself. We would catch this guy. Failure wasn't an option. _

_I flashed a smile at Ranger, "See you on 7 for lunch?" I asked. "I'd like to practice those interrogation techniques."_

_I got the full 200 watt smile from Ranger. "I'm a trained mercenary, Babe. It won't be easy."_

_"I do love a challenge, Ranger. I do love a challenge!" I flipped my hair over my shoulder as I sashayed out of the office and down the hall. I was really looking forward to lunch!_

* * *

Later that afternoon…

I heard the locks tumble and the door open.

"Hey Babe!" Ranger called. "Steph?" I heard his keys land in the dish in the entry and I knew he would hear the shower and walk toward the bedroom. As I had hoped, Ranger walked into the bedroom with his head turned slightly to the right, towards the bathroom, while I was flat against the wall to his left, so he didn't notice me. I waited until he took a couple more steps into the room and then launched myself at his back.

"I've got you, Imposter!" Where's Ranger?" I yelled as we tumbled forward onto the bed.

Of course, it took Ranger all of about 1-1/2 seconds to flip me over onto my back and pin me down. _Sigh._

"Playing with fire, Babe!" Ranger held my arms over my head and rolled to the side, leaving me exposed. His eyes got dark as he scanned my nearly naked body from head to toe.

"I have ways of making you talk!" I said, grinning. "And believe me, it will be worth your while."

Ranger's voice got husky, "Give it your best shot, Babe."

I ran into the bathroom and turned off the shower. Coming back into the bedroom, my attention turned to Ranger.

He toed off his shoes and they hit the floor. I pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it. Next I unbuttoned his cargos and pulled down the zipper. Ranger lifted his hips for me as I slid his pants off, then his socks, and added those to the pile on the floor. I straddled his waist and raised his hands above his head. Reaching into the night stand, I grabbed scarves and handcuffs. _Hey, a burg girl is always prepared!_ Ranger's eyes widened and then he chuckled.

"Yuck it up now, funny man! You'll be begging for mercy." I handcuffed Ranger's wrists around the black iron headboard. I stuffed scarves between and skin and the metal to try and cushion them. Moving down to the foot of the bed, I tied several scarves together to form 2 longer ropes and then bound each ankle to the corner bedposts.

I stood at the foot of the bed, taking in the glorious site of a naked Ranger.

I crawled back up on the bed and then straddled him again. I leaned forward so that my breasts were just above his lips, wriggling my butt against his already hard cock. Ranger's eyes were dilated and black as night.

I began assaulting Ranger with my mouth, kissing him all over his face, nipping at his earlobes. I crashed my lips against his, forcing my tongue into his mouth. He responded with a groan and deepened the kiss. I abruptly pulled back and was pleased to see that Ranger was already breathing hard.

"Who are you, soldier?" I asked.

"My name's Ranger."

"I don't think so," I replied.

I slid lower down Ranger's body, laying kisses across his chest, stopping to suck and bite on each nipple, until they were hard as rocks. Ranger sucked in air as I raked my fingernails across each taut nub and pinched and twisted, then licking and sucking them to take away the sting. I continued my onslaught, trailing kisses down his incredible abs. I kissed and licked and tasted his belly, hips and thighs, carefully avoiding his cock, which was standing proudly at attention.

"Who are you, soldier?" I asked him again.

"Babe," Ranger gasped. "My name is Ranger."

"Nope, sorry, don't think so." I replied again.

Ranger never took his eyes off my face as I stood at the foot of the bed, and then moved up between his legs. I softly kissed the shaft of his cock and it twitched and jumped at my touch. I ran my tongue around the head and across the slit, tasting his precum. I took just the tip into my mouth and sucked gently, then nipped with my teeth. I heard a sharp intake of breath as I caressed his balls with my hands, kneading them and cradling them in my palms. Suddenly I lowered my mouth around the shaft, as far as I could, and sucked hard, willing my throat to relax so that I could take him even deeper. I used my hands to slide and twist up and down the shaft as I took him in and out of my mouth, sucking and teasing him with my tongue. His hips were bucking, trying to fuck my mouth, but I placed my hands on his hips and pulled away.

"Who are you soldier?"

His eyes were closed and his head thrown back. "My. Name. Is. Ranger."

"I don't think so," my voice was barely a whisper.

I took his cock in my mouth one more time, slowly and agonizingly biting my way up the shaft and finally nipping again at the head as I pulled away from him. I slid off the bottom of the bed, standing up again. Ranger's head lifted and his eyes opened. He watched as I began to slowly undress. I hooked my fingers into the hips of my thong, turning around with my back to him and begin shimmying my ass as I bent over from the waist until my head was touching my knees. I stepped out of the panties as I turned back around to face him. I pulled the little satin straps of my lace camisole off of my shoulders, and shrugged out of the straps and allowed the material to pool at my waist. Again, I did a little shimmy with my hips as I pulled the camisole down and stepped out of it.

I let my arms trail up my sides and across my chest and began kneading my breasts, tweaking the nipples. I arched my back and groaned, allowing one hand to travel down to my pussy, rubbing my lips, allowing him to see how wet I was. I inserted first one and then two fingers and began slowly pumping them in and out, rubbing my clit with my thumb.

"Who are you solider?"

"Ranger" came his strangled reply.

"Stubborn," I replied with a wicked smile.

I pulled my fingers away reluctantly and brought them to my mouth, licking and sucking my own cum, tasting myself, making little moaning and sucking noises that I knew drove Ranger mad.

Ranger was staring at me, trying very unsuccessfully to keep his blank face on.

"Oh my God, Babe."

Once again, I crawled up from the foot of the bed, between Ranger's legs, and brought my legs up on either side of his hips, straddling him once more. I lowered myself towards his cock, and began rubbing my dripping center against him, until he was coated. I continued the torture, bending forward so his shaft was rubbing directly against my clit. I moaned and leaned further, increasing the pressure, and sped up my movements. My chest was now just above his, my nipples rubbing against him as I rocked against his cock. I kept up my assault and I could feel him moving his hips, trying to maneuver so that he could enter me, but I was controlling the angle and simply continued to rub against him. I was panting heavily now, getting closer to that exquisite release.

"Who are you soldier?" I gasped, silently praying that he would give in so he could fuck me senseless.

"If you wanted me to give up, all you had to do was say so, Babe."

"Crap! I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"My name is Carlos," he said, and before I knew what happened I was flat on my back and Ranger was poised above me, handcuffs hanging over the headboard, scarves gone from the ankles.

"What the fu….." I started to say, but I lost all ability to speak momentarily when Ranger plunged his cock into me hard and began pistoning in and out of my pussy, reaching down to rub my clit.

"Oh, my God. Fuck. Carlos. Don't stop. Omigod, omigod, omigod…" I felt the tension building even higher than I thought possible. I wrapped my legs around his waist and matched his rhythm, trying to get him even harder, even deeper inside me.

"You feel amazing," he said breathlessly, "So wet, so tight, a perfect fit."

"Carlos, please!" I said.

"Please what, Babe? What do you want?"

"I want to cum. No, I need to cum."

He reached under my ass with one hand, pulling me higher and changing the angle as he continued to plunge in and out, hard and fast.

"Oh God, yes," I said, allowing the waves of orgasm to come crashing over me, as Ranger tweaked my clit and bent to bite my nipples. Just when I thought I couldn't stand it any more, I felt another orgasm building before I had a chance to even come down.

"Carlos, Carlos…." I was yelling his name over and over.

"God, Steph…" and as I felt his hot release my muscles milked his cock over and over again. I could feel him twitching inside me and my muscles clutching at him again. He collapsed on top of me and I loved the feel of our sweaty bodies pressed together as our hearts beat against each other.

We lay like that quietly for some time, as our breathing became more regular. Ranger finally rolled off me and somebody whimpered. _Oh wait, that was probably me. _We lay on our hips facing each other, just inches apart. This was our favorite position after lovemaking. Just staring into each other's eyes. _Who knew I could actually be quiet for more than 10 seconds?_

"Guess I was the one begging in the end," I said.

Ranger chuckled, "You did an excellent job Babe. I'll help you practice those techniques any time. As long as you remember you're only allowed to ever use them on me."

"Wait a second," I said, sitting up suddenly. "How the heck did you get out of the handcuffs? When did you do that?"

I got the full 200 watt smile. "I had them off almost from the start, Babe. The scarves, too. Need to be more aware of your surroundings."

"Ass!" I said, snuggling back down into Ranger's side.

"Yeah, but you love my ass." Carlos smirked.

"Well, you've got me there," I answered sweetly, peppering his chest with butterfly kisses, then roughly biting a nipple.

"Ow!" He yelled as I surprised him.

"You need to be more aware of your surroundings, Carlos."

"Babe."


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you all for the great feedback. I hope you continue to enjoy.**

**As always, all the characters you recognize belong to JE and I'm just having fun with them.**

_Previously:_

_"Wait a second," I said, sitting up suddenly. "How the heck did you get out of the handcuffs? When did you do that?"_

_I got the full 200 watt smile. "I had them off almost from the start, Babe. The scarves, too. Need to be more aware of your surroundings."_

_"Ass!" I said, snuggling back down into Ranger's side._

_"Yeah, but you love my ass." Carlos smirked._

_"Well, you've got me there," I answered sweetly, peppering his chest with butterfly kisses, then roughly biting a nipple._

_"Ow!" He yelled as I surprised him._

_"You need to be more aware of your surroundings, Carlos."_

_"Babe."_

* * *

1 Week Later

So far we had had no luck tying William Conti to my apartment break-in, other than the fingerprints in the hallway and lobby. RangeMan had a team following him at all times. This was problematic in that keeping tabs on Conti meant that in effect we were keeping tabs on the Giardano Family. I really worried that this would put RangeMan and Ranger in danger, once again, because of me.

I was laying in Ranger's comfy bed, propped up on pillows, doing searches on his laptop. I'd been feeling really crappy all week. I heard Ranger come into the apartment, speaking with someone.

He came to the bedroom, "Hey Babe. Bobby's here. Can he come in?"

"Ranger. I told you that I was fine. I just like working in bed better than my cubicle."

"Babe."

_Sigh._ "Of course, Bobby can come in."

Ranger turned and called Bobby from the living room.

"I've got to head down to a meeting, Babe. I'll come up and check on you later."

"I'm fine, Ranger! Stop worrying," I called after him.

Bobby came into the bedroom as Ranger left. "Hey, Steph. How are you feeling today?" he asked, concern in his eyes.

"I'm fine, Bobby. I've just been tired and out of sorts, not really nauseous but just not hungry."

"You're not hungry? Well, no wonder the boss is worried!" Bobby smirked.

He took my temperature and blood pressure and pulse. "Can you lie flat for me, Steph?" He pressed on my stomach in various places, then sat me up and listened to my heart. "Well, nothing is jumping out at me. You're vital signs are all good." He seemed to hesitate a second.

"What's up?" I asked him.

Bobby looked uncomfortable. "I'm assuming you haven't missed a period or anything?"

"Geez, Bobby! I don't even talk to my mother about that stuff," I laughed. "I've been taking Depo shots for a year and I haven't had a period since my second shot. My doctor told me that wasn't unusual and not to worry about it."

Bobby looked relieved. "Okay, then. It's nothing like that. If you aren't feeling better in a couple of days, you should probably go see your doctor."

"I have an appointment tomorrow, actually. It's for my regularly scheduled Depo shot. I can see one of the doctors there if I'm still feeling sick. Okay mother?" I teased him.

Bobby gave me the bad-ass version of the Burg eye roll. "Make sure you stay hydrated Steph. Even if you aren't very hungry you need to get fluids into you."

"Don't worry. The bottled water fairy keeps leaving me presents," I motioned to the collection on my night stand.

Bobby laughed as he stuffed his gear back into his bag. "I'll let myself out. Just get some rest."

I woke up the next morning in Ranger's bed again. He insisted I stay with him since I was sick. Ranger had already finished his workout and was gone to his office. I actually woke up feeling good, and hungry, and I jumped out of bed to see if there was anything good in the kitchen. Who was I kidding. This was Ranger's kitchen.

I debated for a minute and then went to the intercom to buzz Ella.

"Hi Ella, it's Steph"

"Stephanie, dear! How are you feeling this morning?"

"Well, hungry actually. I don't want to be a bother, but…"

"Don't be silly! It's no bother and that's what I'm here for. What would you like?"

"Would pancakes be too much trouble?"

"Nope! I've got batter all made in the fridge. I'll cook up a stack and be up shortly."

"Thanks, Ella."

I jumped in the shower, shaved my legs, and washed my hair. Then I slathered on moisturizer from head to toe. Personal grooming hadn't been high on my priority list the last few days and it felt great to primp. Since I had a doctor's appointment, I skipped the black cargos and pulled on my comfiest pair of low slung jeans and a stretchy T-shirt. It was a short style, which exposed my abdomen when I moved and raised my arms. I love to catch Ranger looking at me when I wear this style. It drives him crazy to catch glimpses of my belly as I move around. Finally, I did my usual swipe of mascara and a little lip gloss, and pulled my hair into a pony tail.

I went into the kitchen and found that the pancake fairy, _yeah Ella, _had been there. I sat at the breakfast bar and slathered my pancakes with butter and drowned them in syrup. I moaned and groaned as I devoured the entire stack. Yum!

I tidied up the kitchen, grabbed my bag, and headed down to the elevator.

I went down to Ranger's office and found that it was empty, so I went to the Control Room. "Where's the boss?" I asked, Hal, who had morning monitor duty. "He and Tank are with a client in Conference Room 2. Do you want me to call him?"

"No, I'll just leave him a note. Do you know who is on Steph Duty today?"

Hal laughed, and looked at a clipboard on the desk. "It looks like today is Lester's lucky day."

"Can you let him know I need to leave in 5 and ask him to meet me in Ranger's office?"

"Sure thing."

"Thanks, Hal."

I went back to Ranger's office and left him a note that I was going to the doctor and that I'd call when I was finished.

Just as I stood up, Lester popped his head around the door.

"Hey, Beautiful! Where are we off to this morning?"

"I have a doctor's appointment first and then I need to swing by the Bonds office, okay?"

"At your service!" Lester grinned at me, holding out his arm.

We went down to the garage and hopped into one of the SUVs.

Fifteen minutes later we were pulling up in front of the office building that housed my doctor's office. Lester, of course, found a parking spot right by the front door. What is it with these guys and their car karma?

We sat in the waiting room until my name was called. Lester got up with me, but I just stared at him.

"Lester, sit down. You are NOT going in there with me."

"Come on, Steph. I always wanted to be a freelance gynecologist. You know, and look up an old friend!"

"Oh, God, Lester. You did not just say that." He got the full burg girl eye roll.

I was still giggling as the nurse led me to the scale. She took my weight and handed me a cup. "You know the drill. Please leave a urine sample in the cabinet in the bathroom. You'll be in exam room 4 when you're ready."

I went into the bathroom and peed in the cup, _yuck, _washed my hands, and went into the exam room. I wasn't really due for my annual exam, just my Depo shot, so I didn't have to bother with the whole paper gown thing. About 10 minutes later I heard voices in the hallway and Dr. Gordon came into the room.

"Hello, Stephanie, how are you today?" She asked me.

"I'm great, actually. I've had a bug or something this week, but I woke up feeling great this morning. I think I just need my shot. No other complaints really."

"Well, we have a complication I'm afraid."

"What do you mean?" I was getting nervous now.

"You know we always test you for pregnancy before you get your shot. Your pregnancy test has come back positive."

"What? But I've been getting my shots regularly." I was starting to feel a bit hysterical. "I can't be pregnant. I don't want to be pregnant. Oh my God!" I started to cry. "How could this happen?"

Dr. Gordon handed me a box of tissues and patted my back. "Studies show that about 3 out of 1000 women will get pregnant while on Depo shots. It's a really effective form of birth control, but nothing but abstinence will assure you that you won't get pregnant."

"Oh my God. I don't know what I'm going to do." I was still crying.

"Stephanie, you don't have to make any decisions right now. Let's get some blood work and we'll talk some more."

A nurse came in and took some blood and then Dr. Gordon came back in.

"Let's see. According to your records, you stopped having periods several months ago, right? That will make it a little harder to date the pregnancy."

Oh my God. It just occurred to me that I had another enormous problem.

"Umm, well, I kind of broke up with my boyfriend for a couple of months, but then about a month ago we kind of had sex…"

Dr. Gordon smiled at me. "You kind of had sex?"

"Okay, we had sex! Oh my God. Then the next day we decided it really wasn't going to work, so we broke up for good."

Dr. Gordon was taking notes on a pad. "So, you think you conceived about a month ago?"

"Oh my God!" I started crying again. "No, I mean, I don't know. There was somebody else, I mean, there is somebody else, or maybe now it is "was" somebody else, oh my God!" I was babbling hysterically and felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Stephanie, you have to calm down. You're going to hyperventilate." Dr. Gordon waited while I tried to pull myself together.

"So what you are trying to say," Dr. Gordon continued, "is that you've had sex with a different partner since the time a month ago with your ex-boyfriend. Is that correct?"

"Yes!" I wailed. "Oh my God. I'm such a slut. It was just a couple of days later and we've been together ever since."

Dr. Gordon patted my back. "Stephanie, nobody here is going to judge you. You aren't the first and won't be the last woman to find herself in this position. It happens more than you think." She wrote down some more notes and got out a calculator. "So, if you weren't having any sex for 2 months, and then did have intercourse approximately a month ago, you could be as much as 42 days into your pregnancy assuming you conceived around mid-cycle, or you could be less if you conceived in the subsequent weeks with your new partner. The hormone levels in your blood work will help us narrow down the timeframe, and then in a few more weeks we can do an ultrasound. Right now, it is too early for that."

"How can I be 6 weeks pregnant if I just had sex for the first time in 2 months 4 weeks ago?" I was very confused.

"We date a pregnancy from the start of your last period, Stephanie, not from the date of conception. Since you don't have periods, it is more difficult to determine. Just to give us a rough estimate, I'm assuming that if you were having periods, your cycle would have started about 2 weeks before you had your last encounter with your ex-boyfriend. Now, remember it could actually be later than that and you may have only conceived more recently with your new boyfriend."

Oh my God. My life is such a hot mess. Again. And I thought I was doing so much better!

"If you decide to continue the pregnancy, there are tests we can do to determine the paternity. Remember, Stephanie, it is very early in your pregnancy and you have options and some time to make decisions."

This was all too much. I needed a one-way ticket to Denial Land, and fast.

"I'm giving you a prescription for some prenatal vitamins and the nurse will give you some handouts on what to expect in these early days. We'll call you in a few days with the results of your blood work. I'd like you to set up an appointment to see me again in 2 weeks and let's discuss your options again, okay?"

I was no longer crying, but I felt completely numb. I heard the doctor talking, but it was just like buzzing in my ears. I grabbed the paperwork and pamphlets she gave me and shoved them in my bag. I went to the sink and washed my face and tried to will myself to calm down.

I went to the desk and made an appointment for 2 weeks. I took a deep breath, and opened the door to go back into the waiting room.

Lester jumped off his chair. "Geez, what took so long?" He dropped a magazine he had been holding and looked up at me, stopping suddenly. "Beautiful, what's wrong?"

I kept my head down and headed out of the door and rushed towards the elevator, with Lester right behind me. "Nothing Lester. Just girl stuff. I'm fine. Let's just get out of here."

Lester stood quietly next to me in the elevator, giving me worried looks. We got to the SUV and got in. Lester started the car and started to pull out of the parking lot.

A wave of nausea hit me so hard that I gasped out loud. "Oh God, stop the car." I yelled as I put my hand over my mouth. I jumped out of the car and ran between some parked cars and got sick, throwing up all the pancakes I had eaten that morning, as well as what felt like about 50 gallons of water. Lester stood behind me with his hands on my shoulders. "It's okay, Steph. Just take it easy. It will be okay."

Finally, my stomach was empty and the dry heaves subsided. Lester ran over to the car and reached in for a bottle of water. He came back around the car, trotting towards me, when there was a brilliant flash of light and huge explosion. "Les!" I screamed. Then everything went black.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you all for the great feedback. I hope you continue to enjoy.**

**As always, all the characters you recognize belong to JE and I'm just having fun with them.**

_Previously:_

_A wave of nausea hit me so hard that I gasped out loud. "Oh God, stop the car." I yelled as I put my hand over my mouth. I jumped out of the car and ran between some parked cars and got sick, throwing up all the pancakes I had eaten that morning, as well as what felt like about 50 gallons of water. Lester stood behind me with his hands on my shoulders. "It's okay, Steph. Just take it easy. It will be okay."_

_Finally, my stomach was empty and the dry heaves subsided. Lester ran over to the car and reached in for a bottle of water. He came back around the car, trotting towards me, when there was a brilliant flash of light and huge explosion. "Les!" I screamed. Then everything went black._

* * *

I felt like I was being buried alive and I struggled against the massive weight I felt on my chest. For a minute I didn't know where I was and I couldn't seem to get my eyes open. Then I smelled the smoke and felt the heat from the fire. "Lester! Oh my God. Les?" My eyes flew open and I realized the massive weight was Lester. I struggled to sit up and roll him off me.

"Ma'am? Hang on. Let us help you."

I looked around and two men in white coats were running from the office building I had just left. "We saw the explosion from the office," one of the men said.

"Are you okay? Can you wait a second while we check him before we try and move him?," the man asked me.

"Yes. Please help him!" I answered.

As the men worked on Lester, checking his pulse and back and neck, I began trying to take stock of his injuries myself. He had cuts all over and there was blood oozing from wounds all over his arms and the side of his face that I could see.

A wave of nausea swept over me again and I swallowed hard. "Do either of you have a cell phone?" I asked the men.

One of the men reached into his coat pocket and handed me a phone. "We've already called 911 and EMS is on the way," he said. "We'd like to wait until they get here with a collar and backboard before we move him. Okay?"

"I'm okay," I said. "Just take care of him."

I dialed Ranger's number.

"Speak!" he yelled into the phone.

"It's me," I answered.

"Babe? Thank God! What happened? We're on the way. Your car went off the grid and the Control Room called about a report of an explosion they picked up on the police scanner."

"The SUV blew up," I said, my voice shaky. "It wasn't my fault!" The tears started at that point and I couldn't stop them. "Les is hurt."

The distant sound of sirens got louder and closer and suddenly we were surrounded by police cars. "The police are here," I managed to croak out and then began shaking and sobbing uncontrollably.

One of the men grabbed the phone. "Hello? My name is Dr. Atkinson. I work in the building here. The paramedics and police are arriving." He listened intently for a minute and then looked at his phone and shrugged, snapping it closed.

"Ma'am? I think we were cut off, but your friend said to tell you he'd be here in 3 minutes."

I tried to get my breathing under control. "He has..terrible…phone..manners!"

The men stepped back as paramedics bent over Les and fastened a collar around his neck.

"Steph? We're going to move him now. Just hang in there." I realized one of the paramedics was Steve Smith. This wasn't our first shared explosion. I tried not to think about what it said about my life that I was on a first name basis with every paramedic in a 4 county radius.

Lester was lifted off of me and carried a distance away. I groaned as I started to feel pain once the weight was gone.

"Do you remember what happened?" Steve asked me.

"I had to get out of the car because I was nauseous. I was throwing up and Les went to get me a bottle of water out of the car. When he was coming back, it exploded. I'm not sure what happened next. I think I fainted or passed out or something, but it must have only been a minute or two after the explosion."

I heard the roar of an engine and the screeching of tires, followed by door slamming.

"Babe!" I heard Ranger's voice. He was trying to get to me, but space was tight in between the cars and the paramedics were around me.

"Ranger, I'm okay," I said trying to reassure him. Unfortunately, I chose that moment to begin sobbing hysterically again. The next thing I knew, the cars around me were being moved. Huh. Merry Men don't need keys apparently.

Ranger was on the ground at my head in an instant, kissing my forehead and my eyelids.

"You're okay, you're okay. I'm not going to leave you. Shh, Steph. Try and calm down. Take a deep breath." His words and his touch calmed me, as they always do.

"How's Les?" I asked him.

"Tank is talking to the other paramedics. He'll let us know." Ranger looked at Steve, who was taking notes and sitting back. "How is she?"

"She has some superficial cuts and she is going to be bruised. Apparently she did lose consciousness shortly after the explosion for several minutes. Two doctors from the building were the first on the scene and she was already coming around by the time they got to her. She probably has a concussion. She doesn't seem to have broken anything when she was tackled."

"Tackled?" Ranger looked at me.

"I don't know if Les tackled me or if the explosion knocked him into me," I replied.

"You weren't in the car?" Ranger asked.

"No, I was sick. I got out of the car. Les followed me. He went back to get me a bottle of water and then there was a flash and then…" the tears started again. "I'm s-s-s-sorry, I c-c-c-can't s-s-s-seem to s-s-stop."

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Babe. Don't worry about it now. Just close your eyes and rest."

I heard Ranger on his phone. "Get me Hector." He waited a few beats. "Hector. Get the car towed to the lab. I want a report immediately." His phone snapped shut.

Tank walked over and spoke to Ranger and I. "Lester is stable, but still unconscious. He has a lot of glass and metal embedded in his body. He has a nasty gash on the back of his head. They've got him in a C-collar and on a backboard as a precaution until they get scans at the hospital. Bobby is going to ride with him in the ambulance. You going with Stephanie?"

"Yes, I'll be staying with Steph. Hector is on his way to deal with the car."

I heard an ambulance leave with Les, and shortly after I was loaded into the back of another ambulance and Ranger climbed in after me. I was lying back with my eyes closed, which seemed to help my pounding headache somewhat. I felt Ranger brush tears from my cheeks that I didn't even realize were falling from my closed eyelids.

"Babe, are you in a lot of pain?"

"I feel like I've been run over by a truck and my head hurts, you know, just the usual after another car bomb." I thought Ranger would leave it alone if I acted nonchalant. I was wrong, of course.

Ranger leaned over brushing kisses across my forehead and eyelids. "What's wrong, Babe. Why are you crying?"

"I love you, Carlos."

"I love you too, Babe, but you didn't answer my question."

"I don't know how to tell you," I cried.

We were interrupted when we arrived at the hospital and Ranger had to step back while the paramedics got me out of the ambulance and rolled me into the ER.

Tank was waiting inside and immediately began speaking to Ranger. I was wheeled into a triage room and moments later Ranger stepped in, just after the doctor. The doctor turned to tell Ranger that he would have to leave, but seeing who it was, immediately turned back to me. This isn't the first time Ranger has accompanied me to the ER and the entire staff knows from experience not to argue with him. If Ranger wanted to be there, nothing would stop him.

"How's Les?" I asked Ranger.

"He's still unconscious, but he's stable. Don't worry about him. Let's get you checked out, okay?"

The doctor asked me what I remembered and I repeated my story again. He wanted to get an x-ray of my ribs and a CAT scan of my head. He told me that I couldn't have anything too strong for the pain until the results of my scan came back.

I looked at Ranger and back at the doctor and sighed, shaking my head. "I have to tell you something first," I said.

Ranger looked at the doctor and back at me. "What is it Babe? Do you hurt somewhere else?"

"I was at the doctor this morning. My gynecologist. It was just a routine visit, but…." I had to close my eyes, as my head was pounding and my heart felt like it was being squeezed in my chest.

I opened my eyes again. Ranger was looking at me, nothing but love and concern in his eyes and I tried to take courage from that.

"I'm pregnant," I blurted out, and the sobbing and waterworks started all over again. Shit! I hate feeling so weak and vulnerable and now my head is going to hurt worse.

Ranger's eyes got big and then he squeezed my hand, which hadn't left his the entire time we had been in the exam room.

"Babe, look at me. We'll figure it out, okay? I love you. We have to make sure you're okay. Trust me. Please?"

The ER doctor picked my chart back up and started making notes. "Do you know how far along you are?" He asked me.

"No, not really. I've been on Depo shots and haven't had a period in like a year. They took blood and I'm supposed to have an ultrasound in a few weeks. Dr. Gordon thought it was too soon to have one now."

The doctor closed the chart and looked at Ranger and then back at me. "I'm going to have the nurses contact Dr. Gordon's office for your records and to inform her that you are here, in case she wants to see you. She's an excellent OB/GYN and you're in good hands with her. I'll be back in a few minutes and we'll discuss what we do next, okay?"

I just nodded. Ranger didn't say a word, but his eyes never left my face.

"I'm so sorry, Ranger. I swear, I've been on birth control. I never miss my shots. I never meant for this to happen. I wouldn't do that. I know you don't want…."

"Shh, Steph, stop." Ranger interrupted me. He pulled a chair as close to the gurney as he could. He continued to hold my hand with one of his, and with the other stroked my hair and my cheek. I nuzzled my face into his hand and he brushed the tears which continued to fall silently.

"No Ranger. There is more. I love you so much. I have to tell you."

"What is it, Babe?"

"Do you remember the day in Vinnie's office, the day you asked me to do the distraction for the Parker case? I asked him.

"Yes."

"I had broken up with Morelli that morning, for good."

"I remember, Babe. You had been on a 'break' for a couple of months before that." He answered.

I sighed. "He had come over to my place the night before. We were both lonely." I couldn't look at Ranger, but had my head turned and was staring at the wall.

Ranger got very still. I finally got the nerve to look at him. Surprisingly he didn't have his 'blank face" on, but I couldn't read the emotions that were flashing in his eyes. "You and he made love," he said quietly.

"No, Joe and I had sex, we slept together. You and I make love." I said. "I know what the difference is now. I didn't then."

Ranger squeezed my hand and I allowed myself to hope that somehow this would all be okay. "So, you had sex with Joe. A couple of days later you and I were together and have been ever since." Ranger frowned. "We don't know who the father is."

"We?" I managed to squeak.

"Do you want to go back to Morelli if he turns out to be the father?" Ranger asked.

"Oh my God, no, Ranger! I can't go back. I can't marry a man that I don't love. It wouldn't be fair to him. I don't know how much happiness I deserve, but Joe deserves a wife who really loves him, who will really make him happy. I love you and I can't make myself stop. I don't want to make myself stop loving you."

"Babe. You deserve to be happy, don't ever doubt that. I won't ever stop loving you either. If Morelli is the baby's father, we'll deal with it. I'll still love you and I'll love the baby. I never had a chance to be a real dad with Julie. I want that chance now. I want us to be a family."

Our discussion was interrupted by the ER doctor.

"I've spoken to Dr. Gordon. She'll be here shortly. She wants to do a pelvic exam. We're going to hold off on the CAT scan and x-ray right now. You'll need to stay in the hospital for a couple of days until we make sure that you don't show signs of any brain hemorrhage or lung problems from possible broken ribs. I don't suspect either of those things, so I think the risks of an x-ray and CAT scan while you are pregnant outweigh any benefits. We could do them if necessary, and minimize the risks to your pregnancy, but I don't think we need to do them at this point."

We spoke a few more minutes about what to expect while I was under observation and then Dr. Gordon came into the room.

"Hello, Stephanie. How are you feeling?" She asked me.

"Just a really bad headache and I'm sore all over," I replied. I gestured to Ranger. "This is my….umm…this is Ranger."

Ranger smiled and reached out to shake Dr. Gordon's hand. "I'm Carlos Manoso. Ranger is a street name. I'm Stephanie's boyfriend."

Ranger grinned at my fish face. He considers himself my boyfriend?

"Of course I do, Babe."

"I said that out loud, didn't I? I've got to stop doing that!"

Dr. Gordon just smiled and patted my arm. "I need to do a pelvic exam. Do you want Mr. Manoso to leave?"

I squeezed Ranger's hand harder. "Do you mind staying? Please?"

"If you want me here, I'll stay Babe."

Dr. Gordon washed her hands and pulled on gloves. She had me scoot down and lift my knees. I tried to just block out what was happening. Ranger never moved his gaze from my eyes. I just concentrated on his beautiful face and he continued to stroke my hair and my cheek.

Dr. Gordon finished up and pulled off her gloves, tossing them into the garbage.

"Everything looks good right now, Steph. Your cervix is closed and there is no sign of bleeding. We already drew blood for hormone levels this morning. We'll draw more in 2 days. At this point, your HCG levels should be doubling every couple of days. That will give us an indication that everything is continuing normally."

Ranger stood up as Dr. Gordon moved to the doorway. He shook her hand. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome. I'll be in to see Steph every day that she is in the hospital and we'll talk about followup when she is discharged."

Dr. Gordon left and Ranger's phone rang. "Report" he barked into his cell. He listened for a few minutes, then spoke into the phone. "Good work. I'll expect the full report on my desk tonight." He closed his phone and slowly turned to look at me. "That was Hector. He was able to piece together parts of the bomb. Apparently there was a timer that was triggered by the ignition. It was set to explode 5 minutes after the car was started."

He came over and sat by my bed again. He laid his head on my chest and whispered to my stomach. "Thank you, little one."

"Ranger?" I wondered what he was talking about.

He ignored my question and continued speaking softly. "You saved your mommy's life today. Having you inside is making your mom a little sick, but that's okay. Mommy got out of the SUV and ran between some parked cars. That helped shield her from the explosion. She's safe now and you're okay and I won't let anything happen to either of you. I promise."

Ranger pressed a kiss to my belly and then looked up at me. I was speechless. I was crying again and there were tears in Ranger's eyes as well.

"I meant what I said, Babe. I love you. I couldn't stand to lose you now that we are finally together. You'll let me protect you and the baby, right? Please, babe?"

I sighed. I hate being on lock down. "I can't promise I won't get bitchy about it," I smiled at Ranger, "but I have too much to lose now, too. I won't fight you about this."

I was so tired and everything seemed to catch up with me at once. I let out a huge yawn.

"Sleep, Babe. I'll be right here." Ranger kissed my lips lightly.

And so I slept.


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you all for the great feedback. I hope you continue to enjoy.**

**I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on television, and I've never stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. Any medical information is strictly made up. This is fiction. Consider it "artistic" license (and I do use that term loosely).**

**As always, all the characters you recognize belong to JE and I'm just having fun with them.**

_Previously:_

_He ignored my question and continued speaking softly. "You saved your mommy's life today. Mommy got out of the SUV and ran between some parked cars. That helped shield her from the explosion. Having you inside is making your mom a little sick, but that's okay. She's safe now and you're okay and I won't let anything happen to either of you. I promise."_

_Ranger pressed a kiss to my belly and then looked up at me. I was speechless. I was crying again and there were tears in Ranger's eyes as well._

_"I meant what I said, Babe. I love you. I couldn't stand to lose you now that we are finally together. You'll let me protect you and the baby, right? Please, babe?"_

_I sighed. I hate being on lock down. "I can't promise I won't get bitchy about it," I smiled at Ranger, "but I have too much to lose now, too. I won't fight you about this."_

_I was so tired and everything seemed to catch up with me at once. I let out a huge yawn._

_"Sleep, Babe. I'll be right here." Ranger kissed my lips lightly._

_And so I slept._

* * *

**2 Days Later**

I was on the floor of the bathroom in my hospital room, leaning against the wall, too exhausted to move. My morning sickness was getting worse. I had finally sent Ranger home last night to get some rest. I knew he would be back this morning and I really wanted to get cleaned up. I was scheduled to be released today and I didn't want anything fucking it up. Morning sickness is normal, right? I finally managed to haul myself to my feet, brushed my teeth, and washed my face. I'd wait until I got home to take a shower. _Did I just refer to Ranger's apartment as home?_

Twenty minutes later I was pacing back and forth across my hospital room. Ranger had two newer guys stationed outside my room so I couldn't ask them to come inside and entertain me like I could with Bobby or Lester. I hate hospitals! Some sadistic lab bastard had showed up in my room at 5 am to draw blood, waking me up from an erotic dream just as Ranger's tongue was making it's way to the Promised Land, and then said lab bastard proceeded to jab me about 10 times before he actually managed to get any blood. He was so damn lucky Ranger wasn't there and I was still debating whether I would tell on him or not. _There goes my (im)maturity rearing it's ugly head again! _Of course, I was trapped in bed while the guy was jabbing me and my bladder was screaming. By the time he finished, I leaped out of bed to race to the bathroom, which of course triggered the dizziness and morning sickness. Crap! All in all, I was a cranky Jersey girl and I wanted out of this place.

I grabbed my cell phone and called Ranger.

"Yo."

"Ranger, where are you? I'm going crazy here."

"I'm on my way, Babe. I have to make a quick stop. Has the doctor been in yet?"

"No. I'm still waiting."

"I'll be there in 10 minutes. Hang in there, okay?"

I tossed my cell phone on the bed in frustration. I opened the door and peered out into the hallway. No nurses or doctors to be seen. I said hello to the two Rangemen stationed outside and got a polite "ma'am" in response. _Ma'am? What the fuck?_

I was back to pacing my room when a few minutes later the door opened and Ranger strolled in. He was carrying a small white bag that I recognized immediately. I launched myself at him and those legendary reflexes of his didn't let me down as he caught me easily and I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

"You brought me Boston Creams!" I said.

Ranger laughed. "Looking a little crazed there, Babe. I think you need the sugar this morning." His arms were wrapped around me and he gave me a bone melting kiss before lowering me to the floor. I flounced happily on the bed and attacked the bag of sugary goodness.

Two Boston Creams later I was feeling much more mellow. I think it was the doughnuts, but it could have had something to do with the delivery boy, who was currently lying on my bed with me wrapped in his arms, peppering me with kisses on every inch of available skin. Since I was wearing short shorts and a tank top, there was plenty of ground to cover. I must have dozed off a bit, because next thing I knew I heard Ranger talking with Dr. Gordon. I stretched and yawned and looked over at Ranger.

"Sorry, I guess I fell asleep," I said.

"That's okay, Babe. My ego can take it." Ranger came over to the bed and gave me a hug and kissed the top of my head.

I looked over at Dr. Gordon. "So, what's the verdict? Can I go home today?"

"As far as I'm concerned, you're a free woman, but you'll need to be released by the trauma service as well."

I groaned in frustration and Ranger sat on the bed next to me and rubbed my back.

"Don't worry," Dr. Gordon said. "I saw the trauma team making rounds down the hall. I'm sure they'll be in here soon. I wanted to speak to you about a few things before you leave anyway. Can we speak privately?"

Ranger looked at me and then back at Dr. Gordon. "Is everything okay," he asked?

Dr. Gordon started to reply, but I interrupted. "It's okay, Dr. Gordon. Ranger knows what's going on with the timing of my pregnancy and the possibility that my ex-boyfriend might be the father. I don't have any secrets from him. He also has my medical proxy, so even if I'm not available, you can discuss anything with him."

She smiled at both of us, "Good. That makes things easier. I called down to the lab and got the results of your HCG test. Your numbers look good and have slightly more than doubled from 2 days ago. The rest of your lab values all look good as well. Have you decided what you are going to do about the pregnancy?"

I looked over at Ranger and he leaned in and gave me a gentle kiss. I looked back at Dr. Gordon. "We want the baby."

Dr. Gordon reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a few pamphlets. "Take these and read them over. Call my office if you have any questions. These are some options we have for paternity testing, both before and after the baby is born."

She handed the pamphlets to me. "We haven't had a chance to discuss it, yet, but I think I'd like to find out as soon as possible," I told her.

Ranger was nodding his head in agreement. "It can be done safely?" He asked.

"Yes. I believe the risks are minimal and either way, I think that knowing the paternity will make the pregnancy less stressful. Even if you don't get the outcome you hope for, for most women, the uncertainty is even worse." Dr. Gordon answered. She continued, "As I said, read over the pamphlets and when you are certain, call my office. We'll set everything up."

There was a knock on the door and one of the trauma doctors came into the room, followed by a pack of interns and medical students. He picked up my chart. "Ms. Plum. I'm Dr. Scott. If you don't mind, I'm rounding with students today." Ranger was up in an instant. "I'm sorry, doctor, but I'm Ms. Plum's medical proxy and I mind." The doctor started to say something, but took one look at Ranger's face and changed his mind. The students and interns filed back out of the room, actually looking a little bit relieved.

Dr. Gordon chuckled and reached out to shake my hand. "Stephanie, I'll be talking to you soon." She turned and shook Ranger's hand as well. "Call me if you have any questions."

She left the room and Dr. Scott continued studying my chart. "Well, Ms. Plum. You haven't had any signs of bleeding in the brain. Your lung sounds have remained clear. I am going to go ahead and release you. You do need to take it easy for a few days, please. You were very lucky not to end up with broken ribs, and the residual soreness that you feel should diminish quickly over the next few days. I'll just step outside and the paperwork started. The nurses will let you know when everything is set."

"Thank you, doctor!" I said, turning and beaming at Ranger as the doctor left the room. "Can we stop and see Les before we leave?"

"Anything you want, Babe. He'll be glad to see you. I spoke to his doctor this morning and he'll be released tomorrow or the next day. He had quite a severe concussion and still has a lot of ringing in his ears from the blast. He also has some really deep lacerations, but those will heal up. He's been anxious to see you, too."

We stopped to see Lester and I knew he would be fine when he kissed me on the lips and asked me to run away with him when he was released from the hospital. I love Lester! We made our way back to RangeMan and Ranger wasted no time in getting me up to the seventh floor and settled on the couch.

"So, what are the rules going to be?" I asked Ranger.

"Rules?" He lifted an eyebrow at me.

"You know. Don't leave the building, always have a man with me, wear a tracker, yada, yada, yada. Rules! I promised to let you protect me and I will. I just want to know what that means exactly."

"Don't get crazy, Babe. You just got home from the hospital," Ranger said, looking like I amused him.

_Did Ranger just refer to his apartment as my "home" too? Oh my God!_

"You need to take it easy for a few days anyway, and I can use your help on the searches we're running on William Conti. You'll be helping us catch the bastard. Will that help make you feel better about staying inside?" Ranger gave me a sexy grin.

"Cheater! You know I can't get mad when you put it that way, Ranger." I laughed back at him.

"Good. That's settled then. Today you'll rest up and tomorrow you can get started with the searches. I want you to go back over everything we've already done and then try a few new search programs that we've been trying out at RangeMan Miami."

Ranger dialed up Ella and asked that lunch be brought about 12:30 and then settled on the couch with me to go over the pamphlets that we'd gotten from the doctor. We read through them all and decided to go with prenatal paternity testing. The earliest we could get a DNA sample from the baby would be when I was between 10 and 12 weeks pregnant. Ranger, Joe, and I would get simple cheek swabs to collect our DNA. It would take 72 hours to get the results.

"Babe, have you thought about when you're going to tell Morelli what's going on?" Ranger asked.

"I don't suppose we could just stun him and take his sample while he's out cold? I asked hopefully.

"Babe."

"Ranger." _Hey, I can do one word answers, too!_

"Babe."

_Sigh. _"Okay, okay. I'll talk to Joe soon."

Ranger looked at me like he knew I was mentally packing my bags for Denial Land.

"Babe."

"Ranger."

"Babe."

"You shouldn't pick on a pregnant lady, you know. It's not nice!" I said as I gave Ranger my best Jersey Girl death glare. Ranger looked like he was thinking about smiling.

_Sigh. I wasn't going to win this battle. _"Tomorrow." I said. "We can call Dr. Gordon's office tomorrow to set up the test. Once we have the date, I'll call Morelli. Okay?"

"Proud of you Babe."

Ranger scooped me up and took me to the bedroom. I was definitely running on empty, energy wise. He gently undressed me, slipped one of his t-shirts over my head, and tucked me into bed. I held out my hand and he climbed in next to me. I cuddled into Ranger's chest and he wrapped his arms around me. I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep, knowing that tomorrow would come soon enough.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you all for the great feedback. I hope you continue to enjoy.**

**Several of you have pointed out that Steph and Ranger don't really need Joe's DNA to find out who the father of the baby is. If Ranger isn't the father, they will automatically know it is Joe. However, for the purposes of my story I thought it was better this way. **

**Also, CVS testing can be done either transabdominally or transvaginally. When I was pregnant with my daughter I had to have the transabdominal procedure because of the location of the placenta. Since I had to go through it, I've decided that Steph does too. I'm just mean that way.**

**As always, all the characters you recognize belong to JE and I'm just having fun with them.**

_Previously:_

_Sigh. I wasn't going to win this battle. "Tomorrow." I said. "We can call Dr. Gordon's office tomorrow to set up the test. Once we have the date, I'll call Morelli. Okay?"_

_"Proud of you Babe." _

_Ranger scooped me up and took me to the bedroom. I was definitely running on empty, energy wise. He gently undressed me, slipped one of his t-shirts over my head, and tucked me into bed. I held out my hand and he climbed in next to me. I cuddled into Ranger's chest and he wrapped his arms around me. I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep; knowing that tomorrow would come soon enough._

* * *

I came awake slowly, when my personal heater moved away from me. I tried snuggling closer and found myself rolling off the bed before Ranger caught me, chuckling into my curls.

"You have to be more aware of your surroundings, Babe. You almost rolled out of bed." Ranger laughed.

"Well then come back here! I was comfortable," I whined.

"You've been sleeping since yesterday afternoon, Babe. You need to at least get something to eat and drink."

"What? I slept straight through? Shit! I'm sorry, Ranger. I don't know why I'm so tired."

"You're pregnant, Babe. It's expected. Have you even read any of the handouts you got from the doctor?"

I gave Ranger a guilty look. "Umm, well, not really. If I don't read them then I won't know all the stuff I'm doing wrong and what a terrible mother I am already!" I grabbed the covers and threw them over my head as I felt tears welling up in my eyes. _Damn hormones!_

Ranger laughed. "Pregnancy hormones, Babe. I read all about those in the handouts, too."

"Shit! I said that out loud didn't I? I've GOT to stop doing that!" I flung the covers off and sat up quickly. Ugh. Too quickly. Suddenly the room started spinning and there were two Rangers standing by the bed. _Two Rangers? That could be fun…later, much later._

"Oh God," I moaned, as I leapt out of bed and stumbled towards the bathroom, just making it to the toilet in time to lose what was left of yesterday's lunch. I didn't have much in my stomach but the dry heaves continued for what felt like an hour, although I'm sure it was just a few minutes. Ranger held my hair and rubbed my back. Finally, when it seemed I had the retching under control, he left to get a washcloth and soaked it in cold water. He sat on the floor and pulled me into his lap, wiping my face and placing the cool cloth against my forehead.

"God, that's so gross. I hate for you to see me do that," I said.

"Babe, don't be silly. I hate for you to have to go through it. We'll talk to the doctor and see what she suggests to make it better, okay?"

"Okay. I think I can get up now," I told him. Ranger slowly stood up, bringing me up with him, and I moved towards the sink. Ranger tossed the washcloth in the hamper and gave me a hug. "Just holler if you need me. I'm going to call Ella," he said.

Ranger left and I used the bathroom and brushed my teeth and washed my face, pulling my hair into a ponytail. I went back into the bedroom and grabbed a pair of Ranger's sweats from the closet, pulling them on and then making my way into the kitchen. Ranger was making coffee and I groaned in pleasure at the heavenly aroma.

"You know you really shouldn't have coffee, Babe. The caffeine isn't good for the baby."

_Sigh_ "I know. It just really smells good." I reached into the fridge for a bottle of water and gave Ranger a little salute with the bottle.

Ranger laughed, pulling me into a hug. "Smart ass." I grinned up at him and planted a kiss on his lips.

Ella came in with breakfast and we ate in companionable silence. The closer I get to Ranger, the less I feel the need to talk incessantly and the more I can appreciate the silence and just being together. I notice that this has greatly reduced the number of times every day that I blurt out something totally inappropriate, embarrassing myself in the process. Huh! I probably could have saved myself a lot of grief over the years if I'd discovered this sooner.

After breakfast Ranger called Dr. Gordon's office and spoke to the nurse about the paternity testing. We were scheduled for an ultrasound in a few days and that would enable Dr. Gordon to more accurately date my pregnancy, at which point we could schedule the CVS test, to collect the baby's DNA, which needed to be done between 10 and 12 weeks. After the call Ranger tried to explain how the doctor would use a needle to go through my abdomen to collect chorionic villus cells, which contain the baby's DNA, from my placenta. He was interrupted, however, by my mad dash to the bathroom to rid myself of the whole wheat pancakes and fruit I had just eaten. _A needle through the abdomen - holy shit!_

We went through the routine again, Ranger rubbing my back, and then cleaning me up with a washcloth and holding me until I was steady enough to get up. After brushing my teeth and using the bathroom, again, I rejoined Ranger in the living room and plopped onto the couch next to him.

Ranger held my hand and turned me to look at him. "We don't have to do this, Babe. We can wait until the baby is born."

"No, Ranger. I really want to know now. I don't want this hanging over our heads for the entire pregnancy. I'm going to love this baby no matter what, but if Joe is the father there will be a whole lot of things that need to be worked out between the three of us and I'd rather get it out of the way now. As much as I want to check into the Hotel Denial for the next 7 or 8 months, I really don't think that is going to work this time."

"Proud of you, Babe."

I grabbed my cell phone from the coffee table and dialed Joe's number, hitting the button for speakerphone.

"Hi Steph," Joe answered his phone.

"How did you know it was me?" I asked him.

"Welcome to the 21st century, Stephanie. Caller ID."

"Smart ass!" I smiled at the phone and Ranger just shook his head.

"Hey, I…." Ranger squeezed my hand. "I mean, we, Ranger and me, have something we need to talk to you about. Do you have time today?"

"Is this about William Conti?" Joe asked.

"No, but I'm going to try some new searches today, so hopefully those will turn up something. I don't really want to get into the rest of it over the phone. Can you stop by here, or can we come see you?""

"I'll come there. I have a department meeting at 10:00 that should last about an hour. I can come over after that. Will that work?"

I looked over at Ranger who was checking the calendar on his phone. He nodded.

"Sure, Joe. That works fine for us. Thanks."

"See you then. Bye."

I hung up my phone and just sat, staring at the floor. This was going to be hard.

Ranger got up from the couch and moved towards the kitchen. "I'm going to make you some toast Babe. We need to get some food in you."

I think he knew that I needed just a little space and time. "Thanks, Ranger."

Sighing deeply, I tried to get my mind to switch gears. I'd have to face Joe soon enough, but now I needed to concentrate on the searches for Conti and getting this wack job off our backs. I mean, come on, just how much shit is one person supposed to be able to deal with at one time? I was quickly reaching my limit.

Ranger brought a fresh bottle of water and some dry toast out to the living room. I sat on the couch nibbling on the toast and sipping the water. I ate both pieces of toast and finished all the water and Ranger took my plate and bottle back to the kitchen.

"I'm going to head downstairs, Babe. Silvio was going to download the new search programs to your computer from Miami last night. I'm going to go get everything booted up and make sure the programs installed properly. You can meet me down there when you're ready, okay? Take your time and if you don't feel up to working today, just let me know."

"I'll be down soon, Ranger. I just want to grab a shower."

Ranger came back out of the kitchen and handed me another bottle of water, moving towards the front door. "Drink that, Babe. Don't want you to get dehydrated."

Once Ranger left, I grabbed a shower and pulled on my typical RangeMan uniform of black cargos and stretchy black T-shirt. _I wonder if Ella will find me black maternity cargos and maternity T's? Good God! I'm going to look like a big black blimp! _

I put on a few extra coats of mascara and my favorite cherry-flavored lip gloss and made my way downstairs to the fifth floor. Ranger was sitting at my desk, typing away on the computer keyboard. I came up behind him and bent over, wrapping my arms around him from behind, nuzzling into his neck. "Hey you" I whispered into his ear. He turned his head and kissed me. Then swiveled the chair around and pulled me into his lap. "How was your shower?" He asked me. "Wet, and lonely," I replied. Ranger chuckled, turning us back around toward the computer screen. "Let me show you the new programs that Silvio has been trying out."

Ranger and I spent the next hour loading everything we knew about William Conti into a multitude of search engines, some of them legal, some in that grey area somewhat less than legal but not completely illegal, and some I didn't even let myself really think about. The computer would then spend hours gathering and storing data. My job would then be to go through all of the information with a fine tooth comb, trying to get to know William Conti better than he knew himself. This was the part of my job where I really excelled. Ranger and his men were trained to think logically, plan meticulously. Unfortunately, the entire world doesn't operate that way. Thinking "outside the box" was my speciality. In fact, "outside the box" was actually the norm for me. I could often find connections that Ranger's men missed, because I anticipated the absurd and illogical. Hell, those two words could be used to describe practically every day of my life!

Once the data was loaded and there was nothing to do but wait, we moved to Ranger's office. I settled onto the couch and closed my eyes. Ranger sat at his desk working on proposals. The scratch of his pen on paper alternated with the rhythmic tapping of the keyboard and lulled me to sleep.

I woke up to a barrage of Ranger kisses a short time later. "Wake up, Babe. Morelli called. He'll be here in 5 minutes." Ranger was crouched next to the sofa, so even curled on my side I was looking straight into his eyes. I smiled and planted a quick kiss of my own on his lips. Ranger stood up as I swung my legs over and hopped up. _Crap! I did it again. All of a sudden two Ranger's were swaying in front of my eyes._

"Move!" I almost shouted, shoving my way past Ranger and into the hallway. There was no women's bathroom, but there was no way to make it up to the seventh floor. I just pushed into the mens room, past a startled Hal, and into a stall just in time to empty my stomach of the little food I'd managed to keep down earlier.

Ranger barreled into the bathroom right behind me, giving Hal a look that sent him scurrying from the room, still trying to tuck himself back into his cargos. "Are you okay, Babe?" There wasn't room for both of us in the small bathroom stall, but I could feel Ranger kneeling behind me in the doorway, his hand reaching out to touch my shoulder. Once the retching and dry heaving stopped, I leaned back and Ranger helped me up.

"God, I hate this!" I said.

"I know, Babe." Ranger said.

There was a knock on the door and Hal stuck his head back in. "Boss, Morelli is waiting in your office."

"Go on, Ranger. I'll be there in a minute." I told him. Ranger gave my shoulder a squeeze and left to go meet Morelli.

I leaned over the sink and washed my face. Ella came in with a new toothbrush and toothpaste for me. "Hi Steph. I heard you weren't feeling well. I thought you could use these."

"You're a lifesaver, Ella. Thank you!" I said. At least I wouldn't have to face Joe with puke breath. Yuck!

I finished cleaning up and then went back to Ranger's office. Joe was sitting in the chair across from the desk and it was turned towards the sofa, where Ranger was sitting. Both men stood up as I came into the room.

"Hi Joe," I said. "Thanks so much for coming over." I walked over to the sofa and we all sat back down.

"What's going on, Steph?" Joe asked.

Ranger's right hand was holding my left and he gave it a gentle squeeze.

I knew that I just had to tell him before I lost my nerve. I took a deep breath. "We wanted to let you know that I'm pregnant."

"Pregnant? Jesus, Steph!" Joe jumped up to his feet. "You always told me you didn't want kids. I practically begged you. Now you're with Manoso for like 5 minutes and already knocked up. What the fuck? That was all bullshit then, right?" His face was purple and his fists were clenched at his sides. I could feel Ranger tense up beside me and I squeezed his hand.

"Joe, sit down. Please!" I said. "You know that's not true. This wasn't planned. I was on birth control. There's more. You have to let me finish."

Joe stared at his shoes, clenching and unclenching his fists, breathing deeply. I almost smiled. I had seen Joe go through this routine so many times, usually right after I had blown up a car or had yet another crazy ass stalker after me. He was trying to get a grip, trying to reign in the infamous Morelli Italian temper. Finally, he sighed and sat back down, still staring at the floor.

I continued, "Do you remember the last night we were together in my apartment?"

Joe looked up slowly. "Yes." His head turned from me to Ranger and back to me again.

God, this was the worst part. "I was with Ranger two days later."

Joe was staring at me now, as it dawned on him what I was saying. "You don't know who the father is." It was said as a statement and not a question.

I just shook my head.

"Christ! You didn't take long to jump from my bed to his, did you?" Joe spat.

"Enough!" Ranger finally spoke. "If you cannot be civil, then I'll escort you out. Steph doesn't need to be more upset than she already is. You know what kind of woman Stephanie is and she would never do anything to purposely hurt someone she loves."

I looked at Ranger and hoped he could see all the love I had for him in my eyes. I turned back to Joe. "Joe, listen. I want this baby, whether it is yours or Ranger's. I really didn't think I wanted kids, but that changed as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I can't explain it. Ranger wants the baby, too, no matter what."

Joe was back on his feet. "What happens if the baby is mine, Steph? I'm just supposed to walk away and let Ranger raise my kid? Don't think for a second that I'm going to let that happen!"

"I don't know what is going to happen, Joe. That's something we'll all have to work out together. I would never try and cut you out of your own child's life and neither would Ranger. Maybe you don't want to believe it of Ranger, but you should know me better than that."

Joe's eyes were hard and his voice cold. "How soon can we find out?"

"I'm not sure. I have a doctor's appointment in a couple of days to figure out exactly how far along I am. The test can be done when I'm between 10 and 12 weeks along. They'll take cheek swabs from me, you, and Ranger and DNA from the baby."

"How do they get the baby's DNA at 10 weeks for God's sake?" Joe asked, rubbing his hands over his face.

I groaned at the thought. "Trust me, you don't want to know." I told him.

Joe swallowed hard and sat back down again. "Christ, Steph." Some of the coldness had left his eyes and had been replaced with sadness and regret.

Suddenly I was very tired and I must have swayed a little in my seat because Ranger stood up. "I need to get Stephanie back upstairs. She hasn't been able to eat much and she needs to rest." The tone of his voice left no doubt that the discussion was over for now.

"You'll let me know about the test, then?" Joe asked.

"Yes, as soon as the doctor let's us know when it can be done, we'll be in touch."

Ranger turned to me, "Babe, stay here for a minute, okay? I'm going to walk Joe out."

"Goodbye, Joe" I said, but realized I was speaking to his back, as he was already out the door and heading down the hall toward the elevator. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the back of the sofa. A few minutes later Ranger was back.

"That was quick," I said. "I thought for sure you two were headed out for a showdown in the garage or something."

Ranger smiled. "It really could have been worse, Babe. If our positions were reversed, I honestly don't know how I would have reacted."

He pulled me up and we walked out of the office, Ranger's arm around my shoulder holding me close to his side. I really felt dizzy and unsteady on my feet and was glad for the support. Next thing I knew, I was being carried bridal style. I wrapped my arms around Ranger's neck and laid my head on his shoulder. I was exhausted, but I felt warm and safe in his arms. I wished I could bottle this feeling. I had a feeling I'd be running low on happy for awhile. As my eyelids got heavier and heavier, I gave in to the exhaustion, trusting that with Ranger by my side, nothing could truly hurt me. "I love you," I murmured. "I love you too, Babe, always."


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you all for the great feedback. I hope you continue to enjoy.**

**As always, all the characters you recognize belong to JE and I'm just having fun with them.**

_Previously:_

_Ranger turned to me, "Babe, stay here for a minute, okay? I'm going to walk Joe out."_

_"Goodbye, Joe" I said, but realized I was speaking to his back, as he was already out the door and heading down the hall toward the elevator. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the back of the sofa. A few minutes later Ranger was back._

_"That was quick," I said. "I thought for sure you two were headed out for a showdown in the garage or something."_

_Ranger smiled. "It really could have been worse, Babe. If our positions were reversed, I honestly don't know how I would have reacted." _

_He pulled me up and we walked out of the office, Ranger's arm around my shoulder holding me close to his side. I really felt dizzy and unsteady on my feet and was glad for the support. Next thing I knew, I was being carried bridal style. I wrapped my arms around Ranger's neck and laid my head on his shoulder. I was exhausted, but I felt warm and safe in his arms. I wished I could bottle this feeling. I had a feeling I'd be running low on happy for awhile. As my eyelids got heavier and heavier, I gave in to the exhaustion, trusting that with Ranger by my side, nothing could truly hurt me. "I love you," I murmured. "I love you too, Babe, always." _

* * *

I want my life and my body back. This alien creature that has taken up residence in me, which Ranger tells me at this point is probably the size of a tadpole _(and how weird is it that Ranger is now a pregnancy expert?)_, has completely taken me over. I can't stay awake, I'm sick off and on all day long, and I just feel gross! On top of all that, I find myself crying at the drop of a hat. Last night I became completely undone by a Hallmark card commercial. _Freakin' Hallmark card commercial. WTF? _

After our meeting with Joe yesterday, Ranger and I went up to the seventh floor. I took a short nap while Ranger worked in his office, and then we had lunch together. After lunch I decided to lie down for awhile _(What? Eating is exhausting work) _while Ranger went back downstairs to work. The next thing I knew, I was being awakened by soft Ranger kisses on my face and neck. Just when things were getting really interesting and my clothes had mysteriously disappeared, a wave of nausea and dizziness slammed into me and I could barely get Ranger off me fast enough to make it to the bathroom to empty my stomach of the small lunch I'd managed earlier. After I'd cleaned up and staggered back to bed, Ranger wrapped me in his arms and told me he loved me. That did it. The water works were unleashed and I was sobbing uncontrollably.

Not being able to eat is one thing, throwing up all day is one thing, wanting to sleep all the time is one thing, but if this flippin' tadpole is going to start interfering with my Ranger-induced orgasms, I am not going to be a happy camper!

All of this was going through my mind as I sat on the floor of the bathroom, waiting for my world to stop spinning so that I could get up and get into the shower. Ranger was down in the gym working out, so I was on my own for this round. Normally I would just go back to bed, but I slept the entire afternoon away yesterday and I was anxious to start working on the searches I ran before we met with Joe. Finally, I was able to keep my eyes open without the room spinning and I pulled myself up and into the shower. I stood under the spray and let the warm water wash over my body, easing my aching stomach and back muscles.

I stayed in the shower until the hot water was gone and I was a prune. I actually was starting to feel human again. I got dressed in my standard RangeMan black and searched the fridge for something that my stomach might tolerate. I finally settled on a toasted whole wheat English muffin smeared with a little bit of peanut butter. _I secretly wished the baby would crave Boston Creams. _I was finishing my muffin and a bottle of water when Ranger came up from his workout.

"Hey Babe. How are you feeling this morning?" Ranger came over and planted a kiss on my forehead, grabbing a bottle of water for himself out of the fridge.

"Off to a rough start," I told him, "but better now. Apparently the baby likes whole wheat English muffins with peanut butter."

Ranger flashed me his 200 watt smile. "Smart baby!"

"Smart ass!" I smiled back at him.

"After your doctor's appointment this afternoon, we need to swing by your apartment, okay Babe?"

"Why, what's up?" I actually had forgotten about my trashed apartment for a few days.

"Well, the doors and cabinets have all been replaced and Dillon says that you can pick out the colors before he paints if you want. The landlord also actually decided to finally redo that bathroom you hate so much, so he has some tile and paint samples for you to check out. All the landlord cares about is that he stays within the budget. So again, you get to pick everything out."

I looked at Ranger and sighed. "I know that I said it was too soon for us to live together and probably it is, but I'm going to miss you when I go back there."

"Babe, nothing would make me happier than you staying here with me permanently. You know that I don't think your apartment is safe and now with the baby on the way and you suffering from morning, noon, and night sickness, I'd feel so much better if you'd just stay. You know, you won't get rid of me easily anyway. If you go back to your apartment, then I'm just coming with you. You won't have time to miss me."

"Can we think about it, Ranger? I haven't gotten my money from the feds yet, so I can't replace all of my stuff. Honestly, my emotions are all over the place these days and I'm afraid to make such a huge decision right now."

"That's fine, Steph. Let's just go see Dillon and you can pick out the colors and tiles and all that stuff. It will still be awhile before the apartment is actually ready. We'll just take it a day at a time, okay?"

Ranger wrapped me in his arms and gave me one of his patented toe-curling kisses. "Thank you," I said, as I laid a trail of kisses across Ranger's face and neck.

Ranger went to take his shower and I headed down to my desk to work on searches. RangeMan had been successful in locating William Conti and had him under surveillance, but so far he hadn't done anything suspicious or made any move to attack me in any way. Since his fingerprints weren't found in my apartment, but only in public parts of the building, the police didn't have anything to bring him in for. What I hoped to find in my searches was evidence of other ties to the community, any of my previous skips, somebody who would help him get to me. Joe assured Ranger that he had been keeping a close eye on Terri Gilman as well. _I bet his eyes aren't the only thing he is keeping on Terri!_ _Not your problem any more Stephanie, I had to remind myself._

I went through every search, highlighting people and places that I wanted to check on, anything that might have a connection to me. Ranger stopped by on the way to his office and gave me a quick kiss and several times throughout the morning a bottle of water would mysteriously appear on my desk. _Apparently the water fairy doesn't realize that pregnant women have to pee every 10 minutes and gallons of water do not help the situation!_ After about 2 hours and 10 trips to the bathroom I wandered into the break room.

"Hey Beautiful!"

"Les!" I screeched, launching myself at him. I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a big hug. He let out a groan as he returned the hug and I jumped away like I'd been burned.

"Oh my God, Les. I'm sorry! Did I hurt you? I forgot. I was just so happy to see you…."

"That's okay, Beautiful," Lester said laughing. "You know what they say, 'You always hurt the one you love.' I always knew it was really me you loved!"

I playfully slugged his arm gently. "Our secret, okay?" I laughed at him.

"Deal!" Lester said, leaning over and kissing my cheek.

"Are you back at work, or just visiting?" I asked him.

"Back on monitor duty part time," Lester told me. "I can work 4 hours a day and I just came off my first shift."

"It's so good to have you back!" I smiled at him. Lester was the least serious and definitely the most fun of Ranger's men and he definitely owned a little piece of my heart.

I rummaged in the fridge and came out with a yogurt and an apple. Les took one look at my snack and his eyebrows about flew off the top of his head.

"What, no hidden contraband in your desk, Beautiful?"

"Everything makes me sick anyway," I told him. "No sense wasting a perfectly good TastyKake."

"Okay, then," Les said. "I thought that maybe hell was freezing over today or something. Now I can relax."

I just rolled my eyes at him as I sat down and began eating my yogurt.

Ranger came into the break room and he and Les talked for a few minutes and then Les said goodbye and headed to his apartment. Ranger came and sat next to me at the break table. "How are you feeling?" He asked me, placing one hand on my neck as he leaned in to give me a kiss.

"Mmmm," I murmured against his lips, deepening the kiss. Ranger laughed and sat back from me. "I guess you're feeling better."

I frowned at his smiling face. "Hey, don't laugh at the pregnant lady. I haven't had any sugar or caffeine today and no playtime either!" I used my hands to signal air quotes around the word "playtime."

Ranger continued smiling at me. "I wish I could help you out there, Babe, but no time this morning. I have a client meeting in a few minutes. How about I meet you up on 7 at 12:30 for lunch? I'll have Ella make us something. We don't have to be at your appointment until 2:30. If the baby cooperates, we can have some 'playtime' before we have to leave."

"Ranger!" I turned beet red. "I can't do _that_ right before I go to the OB's office. She'll know what I've been doing!"

"Babe!" Ranger barked out a rare full-on laugh. "I think she knows you aren't a virgin, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to throw it in her face! You aren't exactly stealthy there Batman. Evidence of 'playtime' with you is written all over my face and body for hours and you know it!"

Ranger looked very pleased with himself as he got up from his seat. "I've got to get to my meeting," he said, giving my shoulder a squeeze as he started to leave. "Meet me upstairs for lunch anyway, okay?" He asked.

"Will you ask Ella to make something sweet for dessert?"

"That's a deal, Babe. I love you."

"I love you, too," I called after him as he went down the hallway.

I threw out my yogurt container, threw my spoon in the sink, and took my apple back to my office. My spidey sense was definitely humming as I looked over my searches, but I couldn't put a finger on it. I sat at the computer and input all the names and places that I had highlighted into a cross-reference database to try and find any connection to my past skips, or RangeMan distractions I was involved in. I tried to stifle a yawn, but not very successfully. Geez! Not 10 minutes ago I was fine and now I felt like I hadn't slept for 48 hours. I couldn't keep my eyes open. I leaned back in my chair and put my feet up on the desk, deciding to close my eyes for a few minutes.

I came awake with a start sometime later, jumping in my seat and landing on my back on the floor with my feet in the air. Bobby was coming down the hall and saw me tumble.

"Stephanie!" He yelled as he knelt by my head. "Are you okay?"

"Oh Geez!" I moaned. "How embarrassing. I fell asleep and fell out of my chair."

I scrambled to get up and as soon as I stood, I knew I was in trouble. "Fuck!" I yelled and sprinted for the bathroom. I made it to the toilet just in time, emptying the contents of my stomach. This was followed by several minutes of dry heaves.

Bobby had followed me into the bathroom and was kneeling behind me with his hand on my back. I heard him tell somebody to go get Ranger. I tried to tell him not to, but my throat was raw and I couldn't get the words out. "I'll get you some water, Steph," Bobby said and he left the bathroom.

I started to stand up, but my legs were shaking and I wasn't sure I had the strength. I heard the door open and then Ranger's voice, "Babe. Let me help." He slipped an arm around my waist and slowly lifted me up to a standing position. Bobby came back into the room and handed me a bottle of water. I started to gulp it down and Bobby quickly placed his hand on mine to stop me. "Small sips, Steph," he told me. "If you gulp it down you'll make yourself sick again."

Ranger scooped me up and carried me out of the bathroom and to the elevator. Tank was right behind us and used his key fob to send us up to the 7th floor.

"Ranger, I'm okay. You need to go back to your meeting."

"Tank can finish up for me," he replied. "Sip your water, Babe."

We got off the elevator and Ranger pulled his keys out of his pocket to let us into the apartment. He set me down, but kept his arms around me until he was sure that I could stand. I took a deep breath. "I'm going to go clean up," I told him. "Thanks for the lift." Ranger smiled and kissed my forehead.

I went to the bathroom and did the whole shower and hair routine. I brushed my teeth and took a good look at myself in the mirror. Yikes! I was pale and had dark circles under my eyes. _All I do is sleep. What's with the dark circles! _Scary. I pulled my hair into a ponytail (the better to keep it away from my puke), pulled on Ranger's robe, and went out to see what Ranger was doing. I found him in the kitchen making toast.

"Is that for me?" I asked. "I'm really not hungry."

"Please just try and eat a little," Ranger said. The look of love and concern in his eyes gave me a squishy feeling in my stomach. A good squishy feeling!

I sat at the counter and nibbled on toast and sipped my water. "When you are done with that, why don't you lie down for awhile," Ranger suggested. "Bobby said you fell asleep at your desk. I'm going to work up here in case you need me."

I stood up and went to Ranger, wrapping my arms around him. "You're spoiling me. You know that, right?" I said as I leaned in for a kiss.

Ranger laughed. "Babe, when I decide to spoil you, you'll know it. Right now I'm just worried about you and I love you."

Ranger walked me into the bedroom and tucked me in, kissing me gently. "Get some sleep, Babe." I took a minute to enjoy the view as Ranger left the room. _God that man is sex walking!_

I heard Ranger laugh as he pulled the door closed. Shit! I said that out loud. I have got to stop doing that!

* * *

Several hours later Ranger and I were in his Porsche heading to Dr. Gordon's office for my ultrasound. Once again, there was no playtime, but Ella made some fantastic chicken soup and fresh bread and I had managed a good lunch, which so far was staying with me.

We pulled up to the office and Ranger parked, coming around to help me out of the car. I glanced nervously towards the area of the parking lot where the SUV exploded the last time I was here with Lester. Ranger hugged me close to his side and kissed my temple. "It's okay, Babe. There's a team already here and they won't let anybody near the Porsche. Another team is stationed outside Dr. Gordon's office."

"Oh my God, Ranger! She's not going to want me for a patient." I suddenly dreaded going into the building.

"Steph, it's fine. She understands."

We made our way into the office and I signed in. Ranger found us seats where naturally he had a good view of the entire waiting room. It was only about 10 minutes before I was called in for my appointment. Ranger followed me as I went inside. We followed the nurse to the scale and I was weighed. She noted my weight on the chart and then showed us into an exam room. She took my blood pressure and pulse and then handed me a plastic cup. _Great! _I left the room to go leave a urine sample and when I came back she handed me a gown.

Ranger was standing by the exam table, trying to sneak a peak underneath my gown and making me giggle when Dr. Gordon came in.

"Good afternoon, Stephanie, Mr. Manoso," she said, reaching out to shake our hands. "Please, call me Carlos." Ranger told her.

Dr. Gordon spent a minute looking at my chart and frowned. "You've lost 5 pounds in just a few days. Are you eating?"

"I really am trying to eat," I told her. "I do get sick a lot, though, and at all times of the day. Sometimes, if I get up too quickly or move too fast, I get super dizzy and then that makes me nauseous and sick also."

Dr. Gordon did a brief exam. "You do look somewhat dehydrated, Steph. I don't think it is necessary at this point, but if it gets much worse you may need an IV to get some fluids into you. You need to be careful because morning sickness can make you dehydrated, and then the dehydration causes dizziness which in turn causes you more nausea. Some of the throwing up you have been experiencing may be related more to dehydration than to the pregnancy itself, although that is hard to say. It can also be a combination of both."

Ranger was holding my hand and he gave me a reassuring squeeze. "Steph is sleeping a lot and the exhaustion just seems to come on pretty suddenly. Is that normal?"

"Yes," Dr. Gordon replied. "It is pretty common to feel extremely tired and fall asleep easily during your first few months. For some women it can actually be pretty severe. In those cases, I recommend being careful driving by yourself and make sure you rest as much as you need to. Your body will let you know how much rest it needs. It's important to pay attention to the signs and not to fight it."

"Now, let's get down to the business at hand. I'm sure you're anxious to find out exactly how far along you are."

I felt a little funny with Ranger there while Dr. Gordon got me situated in my stirrups, but he kept his eyes on my face, bringing my hand to his lips and kissing my fingers and my wrist, helping to keep me distracted.

Dr. Gordon wheeled the ultrasound over by the exam table and turned it on. After typing a bunch of information into the machine, she covered the probe and then spread some gel on it. She placed the probe inside my vagina and then started moving it around while she punched buttons and keyed more information into the machine. The monitor was turned to where we couldn't see it yet. This kept up for a few minutes and finally Dr. Gordon looked up and smiled at us. "Are you ready to see?" she asked. Ranger and I both smiled at her and said we were.

She turned the monitor toward us, so that we could see. She began moving the probe again, and what I saw caused me to gasp. Ranger squeezed my hand and looked at Dr. Gordon. "Is that what I think it is?"

"If you're thinking that there are 2 heartbeats, then yes, it is what you think it is." She laughed. "You are having twins."

To say that I was stunned would be an understatement. "T-t-t-twins?"

Ranger could have lit up New York City with the smile that about split his face in half. "Oh my God, Babe! Can you believe it? We're going to have 2 babies!" I had never seen him so excited about anything. It was amazing. It kind of made me feel bad, because I felt like I wanted to cry.

Dr. Gordon pointed out 2 gestational sacs and 2 heartbeats, explaining that these would be fraternal twins, resulting from fertilization of 2 eggs, rather than a single egg splitting into two. She told us that the babies were at about 6-1/2 weeks' gestational age according to her measurements.

After I got dressed, Dr. Gordon and her nurse gave us more pamphlets and more information about twin pregnancies. I would see her every 2 weeks instead of every 4 weeks. She thought that the twin pregnancy was one of the reasons I was having pretty severe "morning" sickness and was feeling so tired.. Thank God Ranger was with me because honestly I think I was in complete and total shock. An appointment was set up for me to see the nurse in 2 weeks (I would see Dr. Gordon at every other visit) and for my CVS and paternity testing in 3-1/2 weeks.

We got back outside to the car and once we were safely inside, Ranger turned to look at me. "Are you okay, Babe? You're awfully quiet."

I leaned back and closed my eyes. "I'm okay."

"Stephanie, I know you better than that. What's wrong?"

"Oh my God, Ranger. Twins? How can you be so happy? I was already afraid of having to take care of one baby. How am I going to take care of two of them? I'm going to get big as a house and you're going to be sorry you ever met me!" With that, the flood gates opened and I was sobbing uncontrollably.

Ranger reached over and pulled me across the console and into his lap, hugging me tightly. "I'm happy because these babies are a part of you. I can just picture little boys or girls with your wild curls, trying to jump off the garage roof."

"But what if Joe is their father?" I sobbed.

"I won't love them any less, Babe. You know better than anybody how much Joe wants kids. He may not be my favorite guy, but I know he'll be a good dad. I plan to be there for them and for you, too. They'll just have 2 dads! I know that isn't conventional, but since when have you and I ever been conventional? There's no sense worrying yourself sick about something you can't control. We just have to wait for the testing and then we'll deal with it."

I took a deep breath and Ranger wiped the tears from my cheeks. I reached down and rubbed my still flat belly. "I'm sorry your mommy is such a mess kiddos. I love you and I want you both. I'm just a little scared and freaked out right now. You probably should get used to that."

Ranger gave me a kiss and lifted me back over the console to my seat. I buckled myself in and we set off for my apartment, to check in with Dillon.

"Ranger, I'm going to need a bigger apartment!"

"No, Babe. _We_ are going to need a house. There isn't going to be room for 2 babies on 7 and definitely not in your old apartment. What do you say, Babe? Let's find a place that is 'ours' instead of yours or mine. Please?"

I took a minute to think about it, instead of immediately protesting, which is what I wanted to do. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. The babies were real. Ranger had the photographic evidence to prove it in his pocket, a souvenir from the doctor's office. They would need a lot of stuff and a lot of room. I blew out a sigh.

"Are we really going to do this, Ranger?"

He flashed me his full-on smile. "Yes, we are going to do this and it is going to be good!"

A few minutes later we pulled into the parking lot of my apartment. Ranger took my hand as we went inside to find Dillon. It was time to close one chapter of my life and begin a new one.


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you all for the great feedback. I hope you continue to enjoy.**

**As always, all the characters you recognize belong to JE and I'm just having fun with them.**

**Warning: There is just a little bit of smutty goodness at the end of the chapter!**

_Previously:_

_I took a minute to think about it, instead of immediately protesting, which is what I wanted to do. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. The babies were real. Ranger had the photographic evidence to prove it in his pocket, a souvenir from the doctor's office. They would need a lot of stuff and a lot of room. I blew out a sigh._

_"Are we really going to do this, Ranger?"_

_He flashed me his full-on smile. "Yes, we are going to do this and it is going to be good!"_

_A few minutes later we pulled into the parking lot of my apartment. Ranger took my hand as we went inside to find Dillon. It was time to close one chapter of my life and begin a new one._

* * *

Ranger and I walked across the parking lot and into my apartment building. While I checked for mail, Ranger answered his cell phone.

"Yo. Fuck! When? My office in 2 hours, I want a full report."

I watched as Ranger's blank face slammed into place before he raised his eyes to look at me.

"What's going on, Ranger? And don't give me that blank face! We've come too far for that."

I watched his face while he waged an internal battle with himself. Finally, he looked at me and his face softened slightly. "Babe, it isn't personal. You have to understand. The ability to keep what you call my "blank face" in place has saved my life more times than I care to admit. I'm not using it to shut you out, okay?"

_Sigh. _"Okay. Can you tell me what is going on?"

"The team lost Conti this afternoon. They're trying to reestablish contact now. I don't have the details yet, but we'll be meeting in 2 hours in my office."

"Well, he really hasn't tried anything else and we don't even know if he's the one responsible for my apartment and the bomb, do we? I was looking to buy a ticket to Denial Land.

"No, we don't have definite proof, you're right. But Steph,"

_I just knew there was a "but" coming!_

"We have a really good idea that it was him and he may have just been waiting for his chance and found it today. We need to get this over with and get back to RangeMan."

_The ticket booth just closed and the train to Denial Land has left the station without Stephanie on board!_

Dillon was meeting us in the apartment so we took the stairs up to the second floor. The door was open and Ranger stopped me while he went inside. He quickly waved me inside where Dillon was standing in the living room. Ranger explained to him that an emergency had come up and we needed to get back to the office. Dillon already had the paint samples and bathroom fixture catalogs and tile samples set up on the kitchen counter. We went over the choices and I picked out everything I liked. I also explained that I probably wouldn't be moving back into the apartment, but I would honor the balance of my lease, which still had 9 months left. I figured that maybe Grandma might want to stay there or Ranger could use it for out of town employees when the 4th floor at RangeMan was full.

We were standing in the living room, just saying our goodbyes when there was a loud crash in the bedroom, followed by two loud bangs. I turned towards Ranger just as the living room window shattered and 2 objects sailed through the broken window and into the room. I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could get a word out there was a bright flash and a large explosion and my world went black.

My ears were ringing and I couldn't see. I just stood frozen with fear. I felt Ranger grab my wrist and pull me towards the door. I stumbled after him as I heard another crash and then felt rather than saw the heat of fire building rapidly. Ranger got us out of the apartment and into the hallway. I still had spots dancing in front of my eyes from the bright light but I was beginning to be able to see again. Ranger was on his cell, dialing 911 I assumed. I noticed then that Ranger had also dragged Dillon into the hall. We both began stumbling down the hall, knocking on doors and trying to get the other tenants out of the building. Ranger had pulled my door closed as we exited the apartment, but I could feel the heat radiating from the door and the wall. At least the living room, if not the entire apartment, was now fully engulfed.

Once we cleared the second floor, Ranger dragged us out to the far side of the parking lot, just as several RangeMan SUVs tore into the parking lot with tires screeching. The sound of sirens we getting louder, as the fire trucks responded to the scene. Ranger told me to stay with Lester, who apparently wasn't following doctor's orders to work only 4 hours a day, and he went back into the building followed by several other Rangemen, to continue clearing the building.

Les guided me over to the edge of the parking lot and pulled me down into his lap as he sat.

"Are you okay, Steph?" He asked me.

"I don't know what happened. It was so fast. There was a crash and a bright light and an explosion and I couldn't see anything. My ears are still ringing!"

"That sounds like a flashbang," Lester replied. "It's like a grenade, but it doesn't explode really. Just flashes and makes a loud bang. It doesn't usually cause a fire unless there is fuel of some kind, though." He looked puzzled.

"Something else flew through the window after the original flash." I told him. "Oh God! What if there are more bombs? Ranger went back in there!"

I jumped up and ran towards the building, but Les followed and grabbed my arm, spinning me back around towards him suddenly. That was enough to start my head spinning and my stomach lurching. I stumbled back over to the edge of the parking lot and leaned over, getting sick in the grass that bordered the asphalt.

"Steph, it's okay. The fire department is in there, too. They're just clearing the building. Ranger's fine." He was rubbing my back and had knelt beside me. When I was done heaving, he picked me up and carried my over to one of the SUVs, popped open the back hatch, and then sat down with me in his lap.

"You don't have to carry me, Les. I think I can manage to sit without keeling over you know."

Lester just laughed. "I know, but I don't often get a chance to hold you like this….and Ranger can't even yell at me for it!"

"You're hopeless, you know that?" I told him, but I leaned my head on his shoulder and decided that it felt nice to have those strong arms wrapped around me, even if they weren't Ranger's arms. We sat for what seemed like forever, as fireman went in and out of the building and cops milled around. Somebody had brought coffee and donuts for the seniors and several lawn chairs had appeared. They seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the show - like a live Trenton version of CSI. One of the cops and a fire investigator came over and got a statement from me and I could see Ranger standing across the lot, talking to the same guys a few minutes later. When they were finished with him, Ranger headed over to where Les and I were sitting.

He walked over and leaned against the frame of the SUV. "You okay, Babe?"

"I'm fine. Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone was evacuated safely, Babe. Dillon double checked. The fire was contained to your apartment and the apartment next door. The other residents will probably get the okay to go back inside in a few hours, after the fire department and engineers make sure that it is safe." He put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me from Lester's lap into a hug.

"I'm so tired of this kind of stuff happening to me, Ranger."

"I know, Babe. We're going to find some place where you feel safe. I promise. Okay?"

Before I could answer, a shadow fell across my body and I looked up to see Joe standing over me. He looked ready to explode. His face was purple and the veins in his neck were standing out.

"Goddamn it, Stephanie!" He started to yell at me.

Ranger thrust me back at Lester and quickly turned around. "Don't start, Morelli! Stephanie did not do anything to provoke this. That asshole Conti managed to slip our tail today." His voice was low and menacing, his eyes fierce. There were few men who wouldn't cower under that famous Ranger glare. Joe was one of those few.

"You don't know that this has anything to do with Conti or my investigation, Manoso!" Joe spat back. "Besides, in her condition…."

Ranger quickly interrupted. "We will NOT have this discussion here or now, Morelli. If you have something you want to say, you call my office and make an appointment. You will not bother, Stephanie. Do you understand me?"

Lester had wrapped his arms back around me, whether for comfort or to keep me from attacking Joe, I'm not sure, but I did take some comfort in knowing that I had a lot of men who would do everything in their power to keep me safe.

Tank had come up silently and stood next to Ranger, glaring at Morelli.

"You better find some evidence that Conti is behind this, Ranger. Otherwise, I expect a list of either your skips or Stephanie's who could possibly be behind this and the other attacks." Joe had his fists clenched at his side. I recognized the look of barely contained fury.

"We're investigating all possibilities, Morelli. You'll be kept informed as much as we feel it is necessary." Ranger was clearly dismissing Morelli with the tone of his voice and his body language, as he turned his back and reached down to pull me up into a tight hug. "Ready to go home, Babe?"

I was completely drained, but I did manage an eye roll at Ranger. I know that the "ready to go home" comment was more for Morelli's benefit than mine. I was rewarded with Ranger's "thinking about smiling" face.

We left Morelli fuming in the parking lot, where Lester and Tank made sure that he didn't try to stop us.

As we drove back to RangeMan, Ranger slipped into his zone. "Why was Morelli so mad," I asked him. "Does he think I bombed my own damn apartment?"

"You know that's not what he's upset at Babe. I'm sure he was relieved you were okay, but still worked up about our discussion. Don't worry about it. Try to get a quick catnap." I didn't sleep, but leaned back with my eyes closed. Ranger went back into his zone, but held my hand the entire way, squeezing it gently and occasionally raising my hand to his lips to kiss me gently.

When we got back to Ranger's apartment, I immediately stripped and headed for yet another shower. Ranger was going to need a higher capacity hot water heater and some industrial size bottles of Bulgari shower gel if I kept this up!

I stood under the shower with my head back and eyes closed, letting the jets pound into my skin, too tired to even lift my arms. A couple of minutes later, I heard the door open and Ranger slipped into the shower behind me. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tightly against him, my back to his front. He kissed my neck and shoulder and then reached out to grab the bottle of gel and the scrubby from the shelf in front of me. "Let me help you, Babe," he said softly, continuing to nuzzle and kiss my neck. He lathered up the scrubby and proceeded to wash every inch of me from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head, shampooing and conditioning my hair, always keeping as much of me as possible in the warm spray of the shower jets. He sat me on the shower bench and proceeded to lather himself while I enjoyed the show. He grinned at me, but had himself showered and hair washed in about 3 minutes flat. _Damn Army training!_

He turned off the water and wrapped me in a big towel, wrapping another around his hips. At this point I was pretty much asleep on my feet, and was barely aware as Ranger dried me off. He led me back to the bedroom and sat me on the edge of the bed while he pulled one of his big T-shirts over my head. I managed to pull my arms into the sleeves as I tipped over, Ranger pulling back the covers for me. He leaned over and kissed my lips and my eyelids. "Sleep now, Babe."

I woke up sometime later, to the feel of Ranger's hard length pressed into my back. I was curled up on my side, my head resting on his biceps and his other arm draped over my waist, rubbing circles on my stomach.

"Hey Babe," he whispered, kissing my neck and nibbling on my earlobe. I shivered at his touch and wiggled back against him. "Playing with fire, Babe," Ranger chuckled. "How do you feel?"

"Relaxed and rested," I answered back. "What time is it?"

"It's almost 10 o'clock."

"Wow! That was a long nap."

"You needed it Babe. I was tired too. I've been laying here napping with you for the last hour. I hated to wake you up, but Lester told me you threw up again this afternoon and I want to make sure you get something to eat and drink."

I had a much better idea, but I had an urgent call from nature to take care of first. I started to scoot towards the edge of the bed but Ranger tightened his arms around me. "Ummm, Ranger? Unless you want to really embarrass me, and then have to changer your linens, you really need to let me get up!"

Ranger chuckled. "I just wanted to remind you to sit up slowly, Babe. Maybe the babies will cooperate with a little 'playtime' if you are careful."

_Yippee! Great minds (and horny bodies) think alike!_

Ranger burst out laughing as I slowly sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. "Oh geez. Did I say that out loud?" Ranger grinned and nodded. "I have got to stop doing that!" I whined for the umpteenth time in my life.

I sat on the edge of the bed for a couple of minutes, while Ranger rubbed my back lazily. I was able to look around and the room wasn't spinning, so I cautiously stood up. "So far so good," I told Ranger as I walked slowly to the bathroom. I quickly took care of business and then washed my face and hands. I started to check myself out in the mirror and immediately decided it was best not to go there. Ugh!

When I made my way back to the bedroom, Ranger was leaning up against the headboard, sheets draped across his legs and low over his hips, not doing much to disguise his obvious desire. "Okay, Babe?" he asked.

"Fine," I replied. I slipped back into bed and lay on my side, head propped up on hand, as Ranger tossed the sheet loosely over me. "Any news about Conti?" I asked.

Ranger rolled over on his side facing me, sliding down off the headboard so that we were face to face, just inches apart. "Later, Babe, okay?" He reached out and pulled me closer to him, so that we were pressed together, from our toes to our foreheads.

"I love you," Ranger said as he placed gentle kisses across my face. "I love our babies," he said as he bumped my belly with his, smiling. He reached down and pulled my top leg over his, then began teasing me with his fingers, tickling my inner thighs and trailing his fingers lightly across my mound. He kissed me deeply then and I moaned into his mouth. I rolled onto my back and Ranger rolled with me, keeping my upper body pinned to the bed with his while his fingers continued to do wonderful things, making me ache with the need for him.

Ranger slid down the bed a little until his face was buried in my chest. He took first one nipple and then the other into his mouth, gently licking, sucking and nipping at my flesh, going back and forth from one to the other, driving me wild. I moaned and stretched as my highly sensitive nubs contracted tightly. I could feel the moisture pooling between my thighs as Ranger continued running his fingers slowly through my slick folds. I reached between us and began stroking his rock hard cock, wrapping my hand lightly around it, just barely teasing the silky skin. Ranger moaned as he continued his gentle assault on my breasts. He slid 2 fingers into me and began slowly fucking me with his fingers, circling my clit with his thumb. The tension was building lower in my belly and I arched my back. "God, Carlos," I said, gripping his cock tighter and rubbing the precum around his swollen head. "Please…" I moaned.

"Please what, Babe? What do you want?"

"You," I managed to gasp, as he brought me closer to the edge.

Ranger slipped a third finger inside me, and began rubbing my clit directly first gently and then more firmly. I arched my back, feeling almost paralyzed, as every muscle in my body began to tense up. "Don't stop…don't stop…omigod, Carlos!" Ranger growled at the sound of his name on my lips and bit down on a nipple, sending me soaring over the edge. Wave after wave of orgasm washed over my body. My muscles tensing around his fingers as he continued to thrust in and out. Then he pulled his fingers gently out, using the flat of his palm to rub my mound firmly while I came down, my muscles releasing and relaxing. He kissed his way back up my neck and to my mouth, kissing me deeply again. I was breathing hard still, and hadn't yet found my voice when Ranger rolled over on top of me, his hard length poised at my entrance, teasing me, rubbing against my wet folds. I wrapped my arms around his back and down to his ass, grabbing him firmly and pulling him down so that he plunged into my pussy, filling me completely. "Babe," he moaned into my lips, pressing his hips into mine, forcing me to lie still with him buried to the hilt. He leaned his forehead against mine while he struggled to regain control, then began slowing moving his hips, moving in and out, nuzzling my neck and nibbling on my earlobe.

I began meeting his thrusts, encouraging him with my body to increase the speed and power of his thrusts.

"You want more, Babe? Tell me."

"Fuck me harder, Carlos. Faster!"

Ranger began pistoning in and out furiously, slamming me down into the mattress with every thrust, and I met him thrust for thrust, my feet planted firmly against the mattress, giving me more leverage.

I could feel that delicious burning building again, and I moved my hands to my breasts, squeezing and kneading them, then pinching my nipples.

"God Babe, that's so hot! I love to watch you play yourself," Ranger gasped, never slowing down. I smiled and trailed one hand down my belly, reaching for my clit and began rubbing furiously between our bodies. "Christ, yes! Cum with me Babe. Let me see you!"

My eyes flew open and locked with Ranger's as we both shattered apart, orgasms taking over our bodies. He pressed his hips into mine again tightly, continuing to thrust as my pussy released and contracted again and again, milking his cock. I felt like I'd been lost in his gaze for hours when he finally broke the eye contact, leaning his forehead down against my shoulder, gasping for air and trying to gain control of his breathing.

He bent at the waist and placed gentle kisses against my belly. "Good babies," he said into my belly button. "You give mommy a break more often and I promise you each a Porsche for your 18th birthday!"

I burst out laughing as Ranger chuckled, placing a hard wet kiss on my stomach, which chose that moment to growl loudly.

"Somebody's hungry," Ranger said. "Let's get something to eat, Babe. Ella left us some dinner earlier when you were napping." Ranger helped me up slowly and nudged me towards the bathroom. "Why don't you clean up and I'll go heat up our food." Ranger swatted my ass as I headed into the bathroom and I blew him a kiss over my shoulder, squealing as I sped up. It was nice to feel good for a change!

I took a fast shower, lathering my body and rinsing and conditioning my hair in just a few minutes. I hopped out, braiding my hair since it was way too late to bother with a hair dryer. I slipped into one of Ranger's T-shirts, but decided to go combat underneath. If I was lucky, maybe there was more playtime in my near future!

I was laughing to myself as I went into the kitchen, and Ranger grabbed me around the waist, lifting me off my feet for a toe curling kiss. "It's good to see you with a bounce in your step, Babe."

"I know I should probably be more scared and freaked out, but right now I'm enjoying feeling good and hungry," I told him honestly.

"Good!" Ranger said. Planting another hard kiss on my lips as he set me back down. "Let's eat and I'll tell you about Conti."

We sat at the kitchen counter and I dug into some chicken and veggies. If Ranger noticed that I didn't complain about the healthy offering, he didn't say anything, just smiled and dug into his plate as well.

I was practical enough to realize that this brief respite from my nausea was just that, a respite, and I knew that there were still some scary things out there for me to face. Right now, though, I was determined to enjoy a few minutes of peace with the man I loved.

And God how I did love him!


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you all for the great feedback. I hope you continue to enjoy. I apologize for taking so long to update, but I promise to do better. I'm shooting for a chapter a week until the story is finished and I'm going to try like heck to stick to that schedule!**

**As always, all the characters you recognize belong to JE and I'm just having fun with them.**

_I was laughing to myself as I went into the kitchen, and Ranger grabbed me around the waist, lifting me off my feet for a toe curling kiss. "It's good to see you with a bounce in your step, Babe."_

_"I know I should probably be more scared and freaked out, but right now I'm enjoying feeling good and hungry," I told him honestly._

_"Good!" Ranger said. Planting another hard kiss on my lips as he set me back down. "Let's eat and I'll tell you about Conti."_

* * *

I came awake early the next morning to the feel of soft wet kisses across my back.

"Babe, time to wake up." Ranger was kissing my shoulder and rubbing my back.

"Go away," I replied, pulling a pillow over my head and curling up on my side.

"Come on, Babe. I want you to come to the gym with me this morning and you need to get up slowly and have a snack first." Ranger pulled the pillow off of my head and kissed my nose.

I opened my eyes and glared at him, but he just grinned back. _Sigh._

I slowly sat up resting against the headboard. Ranger watched me closely for a minute. "Okay?" he asked. "So far," I replied. He gave me a quick kiss and headed to the kitchen. "I'll be right back."

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and then sat for a couple of minutes. There was no dizziness, so I slowly stood up and made my way into the bathroom. I took care of business and cleaned up a bit. I'd wait until after the gym before showering for the day.

By the time I came back into the bedroom, Ranger was back with a tray.

I got back in bed and leaned against the headboard once more. Ranger placed the tray over my lap and then sat up on the bed next to me. There was half a whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter and 2 glasses of orange juice and 2 bottles of water.

"Are you hungry this morning, Babe?" Ranger asked me.

"Not really, but I don't feel sick right now." I drank some of the orange juice and took a bite of the muffin. Ranger downed his orange juice and then opened a bottle of water.

"Wow, you were thirsty." I commented. Ranger grinned at me. "I had a good workout last night, Babe. So did you."

I laughed. We both definitely had a good workout last night.

I ate another bite of my muffin, but really wasn't hungry, so I finished my juice and then got up to change into my workout clothes.

Ranger took my tray back to the kitchen and in a few minutes we were both dressed and ready to go.

We took the elevator down to the gym and Ranger set me up on a treadmill at a slow walk while he set his at a fast jog. After about 10 minutes Ranger reached over and nudged the speed up on my treadmill a bit. I tried out my glare once more, but again it only earned me a grin. I kept myself from getting bored by admiring Ranger's muscles and sleek mocha latte skin as it glistened with sweat. I also had a good look at various other Rangemen who came and went from the gym while I walked. I frowned when I realized that while I had been admiring the scenery, Ranger had once again nudged the speed up on my treadmill.

"Need to be more aware of your surroundings, Babe!" Ranger chuckled.

The man had been running for 45 minutes and while he was coated with sweat, he wasn't the least bit winded. I, on the other hand, was beginning to huff and puff. Ranger took pity on me and reached over and slowed down my machine, then doing the same to his. He continued to slow us both down over the next 15 minutes until finally we were done.

Ranger headed towards the free weights and I headed back up to the apartment. I had showered and was drying my hair by the time Ranger came up from his workout. He kissed the top of my head as he passed me on the way to the shower. I finished my hair and gave Ella a call and asked for some breakfast. By the time Ranger was done showering and dressing, Ella had arrived with our food. We sat at the kitchen counter to figure out our plan for the day.

"Babe, you said something about those searches on Conti had your spidey sense tingling. Did you figure out what it is yet? Carlos asked me.

"Not yet, but I'm going to take another look this morning. I know there is something there!"

"It will come to you, Babe. You always get your man." He grinned at me.

"Well, I did make the most spectacular capture of all time." I said as I looked at him over the top of my juice glass.

"Which one was that, Babe?"

"You, of course!"

Ranger tipped his head back and burst out laughing. I flashed him my best shit eating grin as I sashayed back towards the bedroom to finish getting ready, letting out a shriek as I found myself being lifted in the air and hoisted over a broad mocha latte shoulder.

"I'll show you who captured who, Babe." Ranger growled as he carted me off to bed, where he proceeded to capture my heart, and various other parts of my body, again and again for the next hour.

* * *

We eventually made it downstairs and I got to work, pouring over my printouts. Suddenly it hit me. I frantically flipped back through the pages of one of the searches and found what I was looking for. William Conti, the bastard who first trashed and then later fire bombed my apartment, had spent 6 months in jail a couple of years earlier on a weapons charge. His cell mate was none other than Andrew Parker, the psycho rapist who I had helped Ranger capture a few weeks earlier!

I grabbed the files off the top of my desk and jumped up, racing down the hall towards Ranger's office. I got about 10 feet when all of a sudden everything started spinning and I felt my stomach lurch. Damn! I did it again. I hurtled into the men's room, past a startled Lester who was standing at the urinal, and made it to the toilet just in time to toss my breakfast. I knelt in front of the toilet bowl for what felt like hours, progressing to dry heaves until my stomach muscles finally relaxed and stopped heaving. I sat back on my heels and took a deep breath.

"Easy Babe," I heard Ranger say from behind me. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me back into his lap. Once I got my breathing under control and I was sure the room had stopped spinning, Ranger stood up easily, pulling me to a standing position with him. He waited while I brushed my teeth and washed my face (thank you, Ella!) and got myself back under control.

"You okay now?"

"Yes. I stood up too fast again. I keep forgetting."

"You were coming down the hall like a bat out of hell, Babe. What had you so excited?"

As he spoke, Ranger guided me out of the bathroom and down the hall to his office, getting me settled on the couch.

"I'm not sure what it means, Ranger, but William Conti and Andrew Parker were cellmates a couple of years ago. It seems too incredible to be a coincidence."

"God," Ranger said. "Talk about a match made in hell. I'll get in touch with my contacts with the feds and find out if they know anything. Parker should still be locked up, but I want to find out for sure."

My head was pounding and I still felt queasy. The fact that my mind was racing a million miles an hour trying to figure out what this meant was not helping the problem.

"You look really pale, Babe. Let's get you upstairs. I'll make you some tea and toast and make my calls from my office up there."

I didn't even think about protesting. Ranger wrapped an arm around my waist as we headed to the elevator. As we made our way up to the 7th floor, I leaned into Ranger and he wrapped his arms around me. I staggered a little as the elevator came to a stop, so Ranger simply scooped me up and carried me bridal style into the apartment and straight into the bedroom.

I changed into a pair of Ranger's silk boxers and one of his T-shirts. Ranger came back into the bedroom with a tray and smiled at me as I propped myself up against the backboard.

"God, there is nothing sexier than you in my clothes, Babe. When you're feeling better, I'll show you just how sexy I think it is." He gave me a smouldering look as he set the tray next to me on the bed and leaned in for a gentle kiss. "Eat your toast and drink your tea, okay? I'll be right next door in my office if you need me."

"Thanks, Carlos," I said with a smile. That earned me another kiss.

"Babe."

I leaned back against the headboard and munched on my toast, occasionally taking a sip of tea. My stomach settled and I felt my eyes getting heavy. I set the tray on the far side of the bed and cuddled down into the pillows. I wondered how I was going to accomplish anything if I kept napping so much. On the other hand, at least when I was napping I wasn't throwing up. My mind wandered to Ranger then, and all the ways he could show his appreciation for the way I look wearing his clothes. I'm sure I had a big smile on my face as I finally drifted off to sleep.


End file.
